Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic
by Tear of Light
Summary: Ancient Japan. A time of assassins, samurai and magic. Two friends seek to rectify the past. But in doing so, what they uncover brings them both closer together and yet could tear them apart forever. Alternate Universe. Some OOCness. Eventual NanoFate.
1. Prologue

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Hi everyone. This is my first attempt at a MGLN fanfiction. This takes place in an alternate universe, a mix up of all the ancient Japan eras with magic thrown in. As I'm not too familiar with the olden days, specifically how they act and how they speak, a few modern age phrases and such may sneak into the fanfiction. Hopefully it doesn't throw things off too much._

_I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments._

_Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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*** ~ Prologue ~ ***

Ancient Japan. A time of assassins, samurai and magic. Long ago, before magic had even been discovered, the oracle gave a prophecy. There would come a time when magic would enter into the world and cause great suffering. Families would be torn apart. Friends would become enemies. And demons would ravage the land bringing with them eternal suffering. A saint would arise as the stars and lightning clash, and only their unity could prevent an even greater evil from plunging the world into darkness. But if the darkness reached the saint first and turned saint to a sinner, all would be lost.

Upon the oracle's death, magic was discovered. Over the next hundred years, people learned to wield that magic, for better and for worse. Men fought men, each one trying to covet this magic for their own purposes. Clashes broke out into the streets and many innocent lives were lost over the years. In an attempt to stop further bloodshed and protect the people, the Empress formed the ranks of the samurai. Their duty was to find and seal all unstable forms of magic, especially the magical magatama jewels known as the Spirit Seeds. They were also to act as peace keepers for the state and to stop the killings. And like everyone else, they too wielded magic in order to keep the peace.

Many years have passed since the oracle's death and prophecy. The oracle's words have since then been forgotten, many claiming them to be myth and superstition. Only the history books speak of such omens now. Little do people realize that the time the oracle spoke of is now upon them. As the signs can no longer be ignored, the current Empress of Japan has sent out a plea to the entire world, asking for help under the guise of stopping the bloodshed.

It is here that our story begins, amidst the nation already torn by conflict only to fall deeper into the shadows…

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_**A/N: **__And so the tale begins! Just a heads up to all readers, I'm already writing a fanfiction for the FFXIII universe. That fanfiction will take priority over this one, so I may not be able to post for this one on a frequent basis. I shall do my best however, not to keep you waiting too long. Cross your fingers and hope real life doesn't decide to throw me a curve ball and mess things up…_


	2. The Girl with Violet Eyes

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the first chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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*** ~ Chapter 1: The Girl with Violet Eyes ~ ***

"Welcome to the Midori-ya Café!"

Blue eyes glanced at the door as the server with auburn hair in a side ponytail greeted new patrons that entered the café. Running a hand through her pink tresses, the samurai in the corner booth closest to the door continued to watch the bubbly girl, sipping her tea (which was the best in all of the districts by the way) as an elderly couple was shown to a small table just two rows down from her.

Unbeknownst to all in the café, this particular samurai was someone rather important. There was only one samurai in all the ranks with hair that matched the colour of the cherry blossoms. That same samurai was head of the Empress' personal body guard, the Wolkenritter, wielder of the mystical blade Levantine, and the captain and the leader of all the samurai ranks under the Empress. Perhaps this fact would have been more easily noticed had the said samurai not hidden her distinctive armor with a faded grey cloak. She didn't want to attract unwanted attention after all. It would be very bad for her and for the Empress if it happened.

"Signum-sama?"

The samurai looked up at the sound of her name. The server who had seated the elder couple just a few minutes ago, now stood next to her booth. Signum blinked once, realizing her thoughts had strayed. The server smiled at her happily.

"How's the tea?" Sparkling violet eyes moved from the samurai to the half filled clay mug in her hands.

"Ah. Delicious, thank you."

Signum was on a mission right now. If you could call it that. By orders of the Empress herself, the captain of the samurai was supposed to enjoy a day off. Hay – correction – the Empress, had said she was working much too hard and deserved a break. Signum objected of course, saying that it was her duty to protect her and the rest of the country's people. So it was expected that she would not get a break from things. But the Empress insisted and just short of being booted out of the imperial palace by her own lieutenants, Signum had ended up here in the Midori-ya Café in the middle district. Vita couldn't say enough good things about this place. So why not?

"Would you like a refill? They're on the house." The server held up a hot kettle of tea in her hands, another warm smile gracing her face.

"No need" Signum said, looking at her mug. "I shall be leaving shortly. But thank you anyway Takamachi-san."

"Call me Nanoha" Nanoha said, refilling Signum's cup despite the samurai's protests. "When you call me Takamachi-san, it makes me feel old. Nyahaha..."

Nanoha laughed, her cheeks turning a visible shade of pink. "I'm not that old yet." She then scratched her cheek with her finger, something she did when she was embarrassed.

Signum felt the ends of her mouth curve upwards into a small smile. It wasn't too often that happened. In fact, it didn't happen at all unless the Empress was around. The Empress had that effect on her. And on the rest of the Wolkenritter as well. Signum watched Nanoha as she giggled once more, having gotten past her moment of embarrassment. There was something about the girl which nagged at her. The captain of the samurai couldn't quite place it just yet, but she made a note to keep an eye on this Takamachi Nanoha.

_CRASH!_

Signum instinctively reached for her blade hidden under her cloak. Were they under attack? What was-

"SU-BA-RU!"

"I'm sorry Tea! It was an accident! I swear!"

Signum raised an eyebrow when, on the other end of the café, she caught sight of a short blue haired server on the floor, surrounded by spilled mugs of tea. Standing above the said server was another server with flaming orange hair tied up in two ponytails, one on either side of her head. The second of the two was dripping wet with what Signum could only assume was tea.

"Nyhaha…" Nanoha shook her head. This wasn't the first of such mishaps after all. "Those two certainly liven up the place, don't you think?"

Signum wasn't sure if Nanoha was asking a rhetorical question or not, so she answered. "Ah… You could say that…"

At this point, Subaru was on her hands and knees begging for Teana's forgiveness, much to the amusement of the customers around them. The samurai finally relinquished the tight grip on her weapon and sat back more comfortably in her chair.

"Ah mou! Subaru-chan, you can't be doing things like that" Nanoha said to her younger counterpart. "That's going to come out of your pay I'm afraid."

The younger girl could only hang her head in shame and embarrassment as Teana started to pick up the mugs off the floor. It was a miracle that none of them broke in the fall.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here Signum-sama" Nanoha said giving the samurai her signature smile. "Come again, ne?" And with a wave, Nanoha made her way across the café to help with the clean up.

Signum could only nod at the girl as she darted off. Turning back to her fully refilled mug, the pink haired samurai took another long sip and sighed happily to herself. Vita had good reason to like this place. The people were wonderful. The tea was great. And the café just had a very warm and welcoming atmosphere to it. It was not the largest of eateries around here, but it was certainly one worth returning to. And coming from the usually stoic Signum, that was high praise.

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"Say hi to Otou-san and Okaa-san for me!"

"Hai!"

Blue eyes snapped up at movement. Nanoha had shrugged off her white apron and server attire, and now dressed in a flattering pink kimono with a white sash. Her hair was down, giving her a slightly older appearance, but that did nothing to take away from how breath taking she looked. Quite a few heads turned at the sight Signum noted. But while Signum couldn't deny the fact that Nanoha was very pretty, it was the girl's eyes that caught her attention. At the mention of Otou-san and Okaa-san by the girl behind the counter (maybe her sister as they resembled closely), the flicker in the brunette's eyes was unmistakable. Deep and horrible suffering.

Soon Nanoha was out the door, Subaru and Teana promising to take care of the place while she was gone. It was then that Signum rose from her seat, dropping coins on the table for payment of her tea. She left a substantial tip. Being captain of the guard paid well. And Signum, not being the type to spend money on fruitless things, didn't see any harm with dropping more than necessary for extremely good service. With a quick glance around the place, Signum pulled on her hood and left the café trailing being the girl in pink.

* * *

"Vita."

"Signum." The shorter girl turned to look at her companion. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

The pair stood in the local graveyard, close to the outer edge by one of the few trees that adorned the desolate place. Row upon row stood gravestones, big and small, tall and short, skinny and fat. Some gravestones were etched with highly stylized writings with precious metals like gold and silver lining the edges. Some gravestones had no markings at all, as if the deceased no longer carried a name worth mentioning and the stone was just a mere marker that some poor sap laid there.

Five rows up and about twenty gravestones to the left was the person of both of their interests. A pink kimono with a white sash sharply contrasted against the grey and brown scenery. The girl with the long copper hair kneeled in front of two specific gravestones, dusting them off and placing bouquets of white roses in front of both of them. Signum narrowed her eyes at the scene.

"Vita, is this-"

"Hai" Vita said making a fist. "It was Nanoha who saved my life two years ago. At the price of her parents."

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_**A/N:**__ In my research of the anime, I've found that Nanoha has violet coloured eyes. Yet in profile descriptions of her found all over the internet, she has blue eyes. For my fanfiction, I will keep her with violet coloured eyes as in the anime that is the colour of her eyes._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Otou-san = Father_

_Okaa-san = Mother_

_Hai = Yes_

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out wikipedia, url ending in: __.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	3. That Night Two Years Ago

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Thanks to those who have already done so! Enjoy!_

_**Warning:**__ A bloody battle is described below. If such things upset you, do not read any further._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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*** ~ Chapter 2: That Night Two Years Ago ~ ***

"Good afternoon Otou-san, Okaa-san. Are you doing well?" A small smile graced her face, brown hair dancing in the soft wind. The edges of pink sleeves were brown, having brushed against muck covered stone when she dusted the gravestones off with her hands. But the violet eyed girl paid no attention to such things. Even as bouquets of white roses were placed in front of the stones, she did not notice their beauty.

"Things are going great at the cafe. Miyuki-nee-chan has mastered your favorite sponge cake Kaa-san." Nanoha bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. "It took two years, but she has finally mastered it. It's a big hit at the café. And don't worry Otou-san, Kyouya-nii-san is taking good care of the dojo. He-"

Hands went up to her face as the first tear fell. And then another. And another. And another. "He's got s-s-some new students." The sobs were coming, no matter how hard she forced them down. "Teana-chan is really good with a bow. S-she'll be a master archer in no time. And Subaru-"

She was shaking now. And she couldn't stop. But she continued anyhow. She had to be strong. For her sister. For her brother. She had to be strong. "And Subaru-chan…" Nanoha laughed, hoping it would drown out her sobs. But it came out more as a sobbing, strangled cry. "Subaru-chan is such a klutz sometimes. Just before I left, she dropped a whole tray of mugs filled with tea. She and Tea-chan help out in the café sometimes. Sometimes when-"

Vita turned away the moment Nanoha started to cry. And not just tears cry. But the cry when one could no longer speak. The cry when the agony in your chest was too much and it felt like your heart was being ripped out. The cry when no matter how loud you screamed, the nightmare you hoped and wished was not true, was still reality. And that was the cry Nanoha was doing now. And it wrenched at the little Wolkenritter's heart.

Signum herself was not immune to such suffering. She had seen it flicker in Nanoha's eyes before she left. And it was such sorrow that made her follow after the girl. Just to make sure she would be okay. In some ways too, the captain of the samurai wanted to be there for the bubbly girl. So at the very least, she would not be alone in whatever darkness she faced. Even if she didn't know it.

The grip on Levantine's handle tightened, knuckles white. Signum gritted her teeth, refusing not to turn away from the weeping girl within her sight. No matter how much she wanted to shut out the sobs and close her eyes from the brunette's pain. She could not and would not do such a thing. To do so would deny the very existence of the pain and the loss that Nanoha felt.

It was easier to turn away. To turn a blind eye. To pretend you could not hear her cries. And most people, took the easy way out. But that was something Signum refused to do. It was dishonorable. As a samurai and personal body guard to the Empress, Signum valued honor greatly. It was a part of her. It was what she was all about. And so the pink haired samurai stood there, rooted in her spot, her eyes never leaving the shuddering form of the girl in the pink kimono with a white sash.

"Vita…"

The smaller girl dressed in her signature red dress and hat, all of which was hidden under a plain grey hooded cloak like her counterpart, turned her head slightly towards her companion.

"Tell me what happen two years ago."

Vita closed her eyes and hung her head. Gloved fists squeaked as hands clenched harder. Nanoha's sobs were unmistakable in the silent air of the graveyard. It was dead quiet here. Not even the birds dared to sing. Like they knew what this place was. And to sing would desecrate the memory of those who laid here.

"I had snuck out again…" Vita said softly. "The maids were… doing their thing… trying to dress me up and I couldn't stand it. So I went to the one place they wouldn't think to look for me. Outside the palace."

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_~ | 2 years prior | ~_

"Welcome to the Midori-ya Café! Ara?"

A dripping wet, drenched to the bone Vita blinked at a somewhat confused Nanoha. She had been running in the rain for the past ten minutes, trying to evade the ones following her. That was a very hard thing to do considering most shops were closed at this time of the night, leaving her no place to escape into a crowd.

Vita, known only to those closest to her as one of the Wolkenritter and wielder of Graf Eisen, had snuck out of the imperial palace in order to escape the clutches of over zealous maids looking to dress her up in the latest fashion from the west. Vita hated the fact she looked so young, not to mention the short stature that came with being young, especially because it gave the maids the impression she was their dress up doll. No matter how many times she yelled and scowled at them, they would not leave her alone. So rather than exert her true strength and beat them to a pulp like she could, Vita opted to leave the palace in secret to avoid capture. Honestly, Signum was rubbing off on her too much.

While sneaking out seemed to be a really good decision, the moment Vita found herself in the middle district of the city, things took a turn for the worse. First off, it started to rain. Out of nowhere, dark storm clouds condensed overhead and rain dropped from the sky with no warning.

In her haste to find cover, Vita stumbled across a skirmish between two factions of assassins, their prize being one of those magically imbued magatama jewels, also known as Spirit Seeds. Vita was perfectly happy with running by the two factions at war, vowing to report this to Signum when she got back to the palace later, but having seen something a 'little child' shouldn't have, she soon found herself being chased down by both factions whose intention was to silence her for good.

Darting down alleyways and pulling hard corners around buildings did little to lose her trackers. And with almost all the stores closed at this time of the night, Vita's options were numbered. In her haste to leave the palace, she had left her beloved Graf Eisen behind, not thinking once that she would need it. She was regretting that decision now.

Literally sliding around the next corner, she saw light coming from one of the stores at the far end of the roadway. Pumping her short legs as fast as she could, Vita made a beeline for what turned out to be the Midori-ya Café. The small Wolkenritter practically bashed open the wooden doors with her shoulder, spun on her heel and immediately locked the door with shaking hands. The moment she turned around, she was greeted by a very bubbly Takamachi Nanoha.

"Nanoha" came a voice from the kitchen. "It's time to close up for the night."

"But Okaa-san" Nanoha said looking over her shoulder as her mother emerged from the back room. "We have a customer."

"A customer? At this hour?" Takamachi Momoko wiped her hands on her apron as she approached them. "Ara? I guess we do. Welcome to the Midori-ya Café chibi-chan." The older Takamachi smiled at Vita sweetly.

Before anything further could be said, Vita tackled both women to the floor as the door to the café exploded, sprinkling them all with wooden splinters.

"What in the-" Momoko was the first of the three to recover, already on her feet in a daze as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"No!"

But Vita called out her warning too late. Momoko cried out, a moment later hitting the floor with an audible thud. Crimson pooled around her still figure, a trickle of red running down her chin from parted lips.

"OKAA-SAN!" Nanoha had finally gotten her wits about her and was staring pale faced in absolute horror at her mother's body. Violet eyes widened as the red stain on Momoko's shirt got bigger and bigger and bigger. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. Nanoha didn't even notice the man garbed head to toe in black standing over her, sword raised above his head about to strike her down.

"NANOHA!"

A gurgling sound brought her attention back to the current situation unraveling around her. Her assailant crumpled to the ground in a heap, a steak knife protruding from his throat. The brunette flinched at the sound his sword made when it hit the ground next to her. A roar drew her gaze to the entrance of the kitchen.

An enraged Takamachi Shiro, still donning his apron and white bandana threw another knife, striking a second assassin smack between the eyes as the second man ventured too close to his still shell shocked daughter. Shiro was in the process of cleaning their sharper utensils in the back room when the commotion first broke out. The next two assassins that busted through the broken door turned their attention to Shiro, he being the most dangerous one at the moment.

"Otou-san!" Nanoha screamed as she watched two men in black race towards her unarmed father, swords out and ready to cleave him in half.

"Hey you!" Vita yelled, catching Shiro's attention. "Catch!"

The girl in red tossed the older Takamachi a sword, the blade belonging to one of the fallen assassins, just as the dead assassin's companions were upon him. Snatching the blade out of the air, he brought up the sword just in time to block both blades surprising his attackers. "You…" Shiro said through clenched teeth. The garbed men were trying to overpower him with their blades. "Will… not… hurt… my daughter!"

Shiro jumped back a step, the two assassins in front of him suddenly lurching forward as their blades no longer met resistance. In the split second they fumbled, Shiro struck. The short haired man took a quick step forward, bringing up his foot and kicking one assassin in the face with his heel. The man's head snapped back with such force, Shiro was sure the guy's nose was broken, if not his neck as he slumped to the ground. And before the second assassin could do another swipe, Shiro sliced horizontally across the man's neck severing his windpipe.

Shiro breathed heavily as he surveyed the scene. Long ago he vowed to give up this life, the life where death followed you home. But while he was no longer a body guard protecting high ranking officials in the high court, his skills and senses did not falter. He made sure of that by opening up a dojo a few blocks away from here, where thankfully his older son and daughter currently practiced. They would not be caught up in this current mess. The rest of the family however…

Two bodies lay at his feet and two bodies lay next to his stunned daughter. Shiro could feel tears prick at his eyes when he realized the body of his wife was also there on the floor as well. Nanoha looked at her father with wide eyes. He had just killed two men in front of her. And though she knew he had previously worked as a body guard, it never occurred to her that he may have had to kill people or that he even knew how to kill people.

Shiro's heart ached as tears streaked his daughter's face. Her mouth hung open, but she made no sound. Millions of things ran through his head right now. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for hiding this from her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be okay. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. But he would never get the chance for a bright light from the entrance blinded him before he was completely engulfed in a magical explosion.

"OTOU-SAN!"

A fifth assassin stood two steps in from the doorway, in his palm a pulsing blue magatama jewel.

"You bastard!" Vita was beyond enraged at this point. Two innocent lives had been lost this night. Another shattered. Because of those stupid Spirit Seeds! Because of that stupid power struggle over magic! Because she was so stupid to leave the imperial palace without her Graf Eisen!

Vita screamed, tears rolling down her face as she picked up the closet thing to her, one of the tables used for dining, a table triple her size and triple her weight. Yet even so, the Hammer Knight lifted up the object like it was a toy and with all her might launched it at the fifth assassin like a missile. The assassin's eyes widened at the feat just as the table smashed him into the wall.

"You bastard…" Vita said gasping heavily, the tears continuing to fall. "Na…no…ha…" she said turning to the girl sitting next to her.

The brunette turned to her, such pain in her eyes. Vita made a fist. That pain was her fault.

"I'm… I'm…"

Vita's words caught in her throat as a flash of light flickered in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror when a white beam of light soared towards her at an insane speed. There was no way she could evade the magical attack from such a close distance. And just when Vita closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate, she was tackled from the side.

"Watch out!"

* * *

"Nanoha tackled me to the ground and… and…" Vita bit her lip.

"And she blocked the shot for you" Signum said.

Vita nodded. "Zafira had followed me out of the palace without me realizing. But by the time he caught up to me, the damage had already been done."

Signum frowned. Two years ago when the incident with Vita occurred, she was on the other side of the city cleaning up a similar incident. The parents of two families were lost, leaving behind their young, much too young children all alone to fend for themselves in this cruel world. That incident too had been a result of two factions of assassins fighting with each other. Their fight spilled over into civilian areas with the Spirit Seeds mixing in. The Empress was doing all that she could to stop this mindless bloodshed and for that purpose the ranks of the samurai were formed. But even with this power, Signum's power, it still wasn't enough.

Since the formation of the samurai ranks, the number of incidents like these had gone down. Substantially in fact. Probably by about half as the samurai patrolled the streets and from time to time, incepted those magatama jewels before the assassins and thugs did. But even so, people were still dying. Innocent lives were still being lost. People were still suffering. And Signum, she couldn't but feel responsible for it somehow.

"It wasn't your fault."

The samurai's words stunned Vita. Of all the things Signum could have said, those were not the ones she was expecting. The younger girl turned to her pink haired companion. "Signum, how-"

"You should head back to the palace before the Empress starts to worry."

Vita had her mouth open to say something but quickly shut it and turned away from the swordsman. "You can go back" she muttered.

Signum's eyes still remained on Nanoha's sobbing form. The girl had quieted down at this point, but the tremors were still there. The tears were still there. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to watch over her… for a bit longer…" Vita said quietly. She turned back to look at Nanoha.

"Ah…" was all Signum could say. "Then I shall watch over her with you."

Vita glanced at the taller woman but said nothing. The two companions stood in silence, unmoving, unflinching, as they watched over the girl in pink. It would stop. Both of them vowed that silently. They would make it stop. One way or another. So there would be no more tears. No more victims. And most of all, no more suffering.

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_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Otou-san/Tou-san = Father_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Onee-chan/Nee-chan = Big Sister_

_Onii-san/Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Chibi-chan = short person or small child_

_Ara = typically means 'oh my', though at times interchangeable with 'really' or 'is that so'_

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	4. The Start of It All

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Thanks to everyone who has left comments already! Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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*** ~ Chapter 3: The Start of It All ~ ***

"Welcome to the Midori-ya Café!"

"Thank you." A smile.

The short blue haired girl looked at the man before her in a bit of shock. He wore long green robes with a matching green scholar's hat. Large round spectacles adorned his face. Waist length blonde hair was tied together by a green ribbon halfway down the length. Subaru half expected a long beard to complete the outfit, as it was custom for nobles, but the man didn't sport any. Nor was there that aura of arrogance or the look of condescension. This guy dressed like a noble, but certainly didn't act like one. Subaru continued to peer at him.

"Um… Is something wrong?" The blonde haired man pulled at the collar of his robe nervously.

"Yuuno-kun! It's been a while!" Takamachi Miyuki emerged from the kitchen in the back, wiping her hands on her white apron.

"Takamachi-san, it's good to see you."

Yuuno extended his hand to the older woman. But rather than take his hand, Miyuki threw her arms around the scholar, half tackling and half hugging him. The blonde blushed noticeably, Subaru chuckling at the scene.

"Subaru, that's rude!" a voice hissed in her ear, Subaru receiving an elbow to the ribs.

"Ompf! Sorry Tea, I couldn't help it" Subaru said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

It was past mid day at this point, the lunch crowd having come and gone. Midori-ya Café was quiet now, the only customer being Yuuno. Subaru and Teana were the servers at the moment, Nanoha having disappeared roughly an hour ago. Miyuki manned the kitchen, preparing any orders that came through. It was a bit of a struggle during the peak times with such little staff, but all of them made out just fine.

"So what brings you to this side?" Miyuki said, waving a hand at one of the empty booths indicating for Yuuno to sit. "You're usually pretty busy in the palace."

"P-p-p-palace?" Both Subaru and Teana gawked. The two servers looked at each other and then back to their customer.

Yuuno chuckled, taking a seat in the closest booth. "I'm a scholar at the imperial palace" he told the younger girls. He smiled seeing their eyes almost pop out of their heads in shock. "I came by to see how Nanoha-san was doing actually" he said turning back to Miyuki.

The older woman's eyes darkened and she looked down at the table. "Ah… Nanoha…"

Sensing the change in atmosphere, the servers took it as their cue to get to work and be… elsewhere.

"How are you holding up Miyuki-san?"

Green eyes looked up at the man. She gave him a small smile. "I've been managing" she said softly. "Nanoha… Nanoha is still having a hard time about it though…"

Two mugs of tea were placed on the table, one in front of each of them.

"Thank you Tea-chan" Miyuki said.

Yuuno also thanked the orange haired girl. Teana merely nodded with a smile and went to the back again where Subaru was hiding out. Yuuno stared down at his steaming mug of tea.

"She's gotten good at hiding her pain behind the smiles" Muyuki continued. "If you didn't know her well enough, you wouldn't have noticed it. But I do. We all do."

Yuuno nodded. Nanoha would do that. She didn't want to burden anyone with her troubles or her pain. So she would put on a smile and pretend like nothing was wrong.

"She's with them right now, isn't she?"

* * *

"Who's that?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to the newcomer in the graveyard. Long blonde hair draped over the shoulders of the cloaked figure that was now approaching Nanoha from behind. The smallest of the pair instinctively reached for her Graf Eisen strapped to her back. A hand on her shoulder made Vita look up at the pink haired samurai.

"We should head back to the Empress now. She'll start to worry."

Blue eyes looked back at the mysterious person. "Fate Testerossa Harlaown" Signum said.

Testerossa. That name sounded familiar to the smaller Wolkenritter. Why? _Testerossa. Testerossa…_ Vita's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Yes. As in Precia Testerossa from the Garden of Time incident."

Vita gritted her teeth, blue eyes darkening as they narrowed at the intruder. Her hand tightened around the grip of her hammer.

"We should go."

"But-"

Signum paid no heed to her companion and proceeded to drag the red head out of the graveyard by the nape of her cloak. The pink haired samurai sighed inwardly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she thought about the events from ten years ago.

The Garden of Time incident. That's where it all started, wasn't it? No. It had started way before that, but only then were the effects of it all, of magic, starting to show. Precia Testerossa was a budding archaeologist, researching the emergence of magic into the world.

Over her travels, she had discovered many dormant magatama jewels, which would later become known as the Spirit Seeds. Ancient texts wrote of them being the key to unlocking what would be the world's biggest discovery into the emergence of magic. Al Hazard.

The texts Precia had discovered however, were incomplete. She had only fragments of them. And while it was true the Spirit Seeds were key to reaching Al Hazard, what Precia didn't realize was that a sacrifice must also be made to open the door to the legendary land. The land where magic first began.

Stumbling across the Garden of Time, said to be the portal between our world and Al Hazard, the Spirit Seeds she collected awakened, triggering the ceremony to open the door. In the process, Precia's team as well as her only daughter Alicia, lost their lives as the sacrifice to open the portal.

In her last ditch effort to save her daughter, Precia managed to interrupt the ceremony, releasing demons into the world, as well as scattering all the Spirit Seeds she had already uncovered. Also scattered were the weapons of legendary magical power, including Signum's very own Levantine and Vita's Graf Eisen.

Having lost her only daughter, the daughter she vowed to protect and cherish since the day the bastard of her husband walked away those many years ago, Precia completely lost it herself. From then on, she worked tirelessly, acquiring Spirit Seeds through any means necessary in an attempt to revive her daughter from the dead. Sadly, such a feat was not possible, even if one had unlimited magic at their disposal. But blinded by her guilt and loneliness, Precia continued to pursue Al Hazard, believing it key to reviving her lost child.

Precia traveled to Japan in secret, for some reason Japan having the most concentrated gathering of magic in the entire world. There was only one other place to have such a magical concentration. The Garden of Time. Precia believed that there was another door to the Garden of Time hidden in Japan and sought it out to complete her daughter's revival.

Many lives were lost in her insane attempt to call forth the second door. Only through the power of the Book of Darkness, an ancient magical tome passed down throughout the generations of Emperors, was Precia stopped. But it was at the price of the current Emperor's life, as well as that of the Emperor's guardians.

Signum sighed. Vita had finally escaped from her grip and was now yelling at her. They were in the market now. The people around them could only stare in wonder as the pair continued to walk towards the imperial palace, Vita yelling the whole way there. Signum was not affected by this one bit, and that only aggravated the smaller knight even more.

The samurai would apologize to her friend later, her thoughts currently still caught up in the Garden of Time incident. That was ten years ago. Much had changed since then. The Empress grew up. Even at that young age, she reestablished order over the country. But even so, the captain of the samurai could not but worry.

Things were far from over. Nanoha's weeping reminded Signum of that. Until all the Spirit Seeds were found and sealed away, and the struggle for power stopped, the suffering would continue. Clutching her Levantine tightly under her cloak, Signum made a silent vow. She would help her Empress stop the bloodshed. The suffering. And the pain inflicted upon this country's people. Even at the cost of her life.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	5. Lingering Memory

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

_

* * *

_

*** ~ Chapter 4: Lingering Memory ~ ***

_SPLAT!_

Nanoha reached up to feel a cool wetness roll down her cheek. And then another. And another. And another. But not only on her cheek. Everything around her was getting wet, the sky having darkened without her realizing. Wet locks of brown hair hung in front of her eyes, her pink kimono turning a darker shade of pink under the water assault. Nanoha turned her face skyward, no longer having the strength to cry anymore. Was this the same rain that fell that day two years ago?

Nanoha remembered that day so vividly. She was working that night, helping her mother and father at the cafe. The sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and lightning lit up the night sky. Most of the customers left early to avoid the rain. And for a time, the cafe was empty except for the three of them. And then everything happened so quickly.

A little girl in red rushed inside, dripping wet. Nanoha greeted her like she would have any other customer. And before she knew what was happening, she was on the ground, the door to the cafe exploding into splinters. And then... And then...

_BOOM!_

Nanoha flinched at the sound of thunder. She shivered, hugging herself tightly, only now feeling the chill of the cold rain even though she had been soaked for a while now.

And then...

Nanoha shut her eyes tightly, jaw clenched shut in an attempt to stifle the sobs that followed fresh tears. Her tears had stopped half an hour ago. At least, that's what she thought. It seemed she still had more tears to shed. A shudder ran through her body, the soaked-to-the-bone brunette falling forward in exhaustion. Arms wrapped around her from behind, preventing her from smashing face first into her father's grave stone. Half hooded violet eyes looked back to the face of the one who held her.

"Fate... chan...?"

Burgundy eyes twinkled at the sound of her name. "Nanoha."

The day that Precia Testerossa died was the same day the blonde with red eyes was born. Fate, born of magic but still very human, had no memories from before that historical day. The interruption of Precia's attempt to open the supposed second door to Al Hazard caused a rip in the fabric of reality, distorting the world for a brief moment of time. And it was in that time that Fate Testerossa came into being.

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha repeated, as if to convince herself that her friend was real.

"Nanoha." Fate smiled, pulling some of the brunette's wet hair from her face. She too was getting wet, but not to the extent as her friend as she wore a thick black cloak. "Let's get you out of the rain before you get sick."

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha half tackled her friend, hands clutching to the back of Fate's clothes. "Fate-chan! Fate-chan! Fate-chan!" Nanoha buried her face in Fate's shoulder.

The blonde held her best friend gently around the shoulders, one hand stroking the brunette's head. "Shhhh..." she cooed. "It's alright. I'm here Nanoha."

Fate pulled Nanoha closer to her, wrapping them both up in her thick black cloak. Wine coloured eyes wandered from the brunette in her arms to a third gave stone further down the row. White lilies sat in front of it, soft petals splashed by the onslaught of the rain. Burgundy coloured eyes closed. _Are you crying as well?_

_

* * *

_

The door to the Harlaown residence slid shut.

"Fate-chan? Is that you?" A teal haired woman popped her head out from the living room. "Fate-"

The cloaked and drenched figure stiffened at the door.

"Oh Fate..."

Lindy Harlaown walked up to the shrouded figure, peeling off the wet outer garment from them. Maroon eyes glanced at the woman before looking away. "Sorry Kaa-san. I couldn't just leave her like that."

"I know Fate" Lindy said. "I know."

The older woman looked down at the sopping wet bundle of pink in Fate's arms. An exhausted Nanoha shivered slightly, clutching to Fate's black kimono with white lotus flowers printed on it. The brunette unconsciously nuzzled closer to Fate, closer to the warmth as the cloak that once kept both of them warm and dry had been removed.

Days after the Garden of Time incident, Fate was adopted by Lindy Harlaown, wife of the deceased Clyde Harlaown, the captain of the city guard who lost his life trying to defend it and his family from Precia Testerossa. Originally it was argued that Fate should be killed. Many feared the power Fate held, despite the fact she was the failed attempt to revive a normal, human child. They feared that the power Precia Testerossa wielded had somehow been transferred to her. And no one should have that kind of power.

But Lindy Harlaown would not agree to such things. In spite of knowing her name, Fate had no memories of anything else. She did not have a past, nor did she show any knowledge or recognition of the sins of her maker, Precia Testerossa. Always wanting a daughter of her own, Lindy went ahead and adopted the small child and that was that. Anyone who tried to stop her or take Fate away from her, would face the wrath of the captain's wife. A very scary thing Clyde would attest to, if he were still alive.

"Why don't you head upstairs and get her dried off?" Lindy said. The green haired woman looked sadly at exhausted girl. "I'll make some tea."

"Hai Kaa-san."

Fate slowly padded her way up the stairs to her room with a sleeping Nanoha in her arms. Lindy watched her adopted daughter until she disappeared out of view. The older woman then moved to the kitchen and set a full kettle of water over the wood burning stove. She sighed, settling down at the kitchen table.

Today was a haunting day for many people. It was a day full of memories, many of which people wished never to remember. It was the day that all of the pain came back, sometimes in waves and sometimes without any warning at all. The day Japan was nearly destroyed forever. The anniversary of the Garden of Time incident. Japan might as well have been destroyed, for the agony of losing loved ones tore greatly at her heart. And the hearts of many others as well.

Lindy clenched at the fabric of her own shirt, her knuckles white as a lone tear roll down her cheek. "Clyde..."

Even after all this time, the pain was still there. And as luck would have it, if you believed in such superstitions, this was also the day Nanoha's parents died. Though unlike Lindy's memories, Nanoha's was much more fresh. And still very raw, her parents having been murdered in front of her only two years prior. Lindy had learned to deal with her pain over the time, but Nanoha was still stuck reliving her scars of that day, over and over again. She hadn't quite found a way to break that vicious cycle yet. But at least she wouldn't be alone going through it.

Fate set Nanoha down gently on her futon and pulled up the covers on the brunette. Nanoha murmured something inaudible before snuggling deeper into the blanket. A small smile curved up on Fate's face at that. After watching Nanoha to make sure the girl was still asleep, the blonde rose to her feet and gently tiptoed around her friend, making her way to the window. She pulled the drapes shut.

"Sorry Fate-chan."

Fate nearly jumped out of her skin when Nanoha spoke, but she quickly recovered and turned to face her friend.

"I always seem to trouble you on this day. Nyahaha..."

Fate smiled. She made her way over to Nanoha and sat down next to the futon. "You're no trouble at all Nanoha. Far from it."

Violet eyes twinkled. "You say that, but I know I am." Nanoha pushed herself up to sitting position. The blanket crumpled to her lap.

"Nanoha-"

Nanoha shook her head, cutting Fate off. "I can't keep crying every time something bad happens..." Nanoha looked down at her hands. "It's been two years since... it happened. I have to be strong. For Onii-san. For Onee-chan." Nanoha closed her eyes. "For everyone else."

"But you are strong" Fate said, taking one of Nanoha's hands between two of her own. Maroon eyes gazed at violet ones.

"You make me strong" Fate continued, the intensity in the blonde's eyes causing Nanoha to blush. "Without you, life would have no meaning."

"Ah mou..." Nanoha said, scratching her cheek with her finger. "Fate-chan always says the most embarrassing things..." Nanoha's blush darkened.

"Eh?" Fate's eyes widened. _Shimatta! Did I say that last part out loud?_ "I-uh... I mean-"

The blonde froze when Nanoha wrapped her arms around her and cuddled against her shoulder. "You're important to me too Fate-chan" Nanoha said softly. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too..."

Fate relaxed, wrapping her arms around the brunette gently. "Don't worry about that" she said, a blush colouring her cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Violet eyes searched wine coloured ones in desperation.

"Promise." No matter what happened, Fate always kept her promises.

Nanoha smiled and hugged the blonde again. "Fate-chan."

"Hmm?"

"Happy birthday."

Lindy Harlaown padded softly away from her adopted daughter's room, humming to herself softly. A tray holding two mugs of steaming hot tea sat just in front of the sliding paper door to the blonde's bedroom. A smile formed on the teal haired woman's face as one particular promise came to her mind. From a special someone. Lost in her own memories of past promises, the green haired woman failed to notice a flutter of movement dart behind her and into the shadows lingering by Fate's bedroom door.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Onee-chan/Nee-chan = Big Sister_

_Onii-san/Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Hai = Yes_

_Shimatta = Damnit!_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	6. The Death of Yagami Hayate

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

_

* * *

_

*** ~ Chapter 5: The Death of Yagami Hayate ~ ***

"Hayate-sama."

"Hai Shamal?" Blue eyes looked up from the scroll they were focused on.

"Vita-chan and Signum-san have returned from their walk" the short blonde haired woman replied.

"Thank you Shamal." The Empress smiled at her attendant.

Shamal smiled back, dismissing the messenger who had originally informed her of her companions' return. Blue eyes glanced back down at the scroll in her hand. A small shadow flitted past the messenger, unnoticed by the man and continued silently towards the Empress' attendant.

"Rein."

The shadow froze just behind the head of the blonde woman. "Hai Hayate-sama?" came a bubbly reply.

Shamal lurched forward, startled by how close the bubbly voice was to her head. Trying to steady herself, Shamal ended up stumbling forward and tripping on the hem of her long green robe. The one named Rein giggled. Only Zafira's quick reflexes saved the attendant from an embarrassing spill at the feet of the Empress, the blue demon wolf using his body to cushion Shamal's fall.

"Rein" the Empress repeated. "What did I tell you about scaring Shamal?" Hayate couldn't but chuckle at the scene.

Tiny blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Not to scare her when she's cooking?"

Yagami Hayate. A ghost. A living legend. And Japan's most guarded secret. At age nine, she became the youngest Empress in the history of Japan to take the royal throne. As the only remaining pure blooded relative left from the previous Emperor's reign, Hayate lived the first nine years of her life amongst the nobles of the upper court, without knowing that the Emperor was her grand father. Just the same, no one in the court of nobles knew Hayate was the grand daughter of the Emperor either.

"Rein-chan!" Shamal scowled, sitting on her romp. Though, with Shamal being the kindest person you had ever known, her scowl looked more like a pout. Rein giggled again, long silver platinum hair fluttering about.

"Rein." The Empress' voice was firm and unwavering. As much as she was mildly amused by the interactions of those closest to her, Hayate had to set an example of proper etiquette. It would be unbecoming of the Empress if she did not. "Apologize to Shamal."

"Awwwwww but Haaaaaaayaaaaaateeeeeee!"

"Rein. Don't make me say it again."

The little guardian pouted before she floated down to Shamal's eye level looking to the side. "Sorry Shamal-san" Rein said, quickly glancing to the blonde before looking away again. She clasped her hands behind her back shyly.

Shamal glared at the small one, trying oh so hard to stay angry at Rein. But Shamal could never hold a grudge and soon the blonde's angry expression softened. "I accept your apology Rein-chan. Just don't do that again, ne?" Shamal reached out and patted Rein on the head.

Rein turned to look at Shamal, an innocent face smiling sweetly back at the green robed attendant. "Hai!"

It was the wish of the Emperor that his grand daughter live the life of a normal girl. To ensure this, Gil Graham, retired advisor to the Emperor watched over her, vowing to protect Hayate with his life if it came to that. He did his best to provide a normal life for the young Hayate, making sure that her every convenience was taken care of. But when the Emperor gave up his life to stop Precia Testerossa, the capital and all of the country was left in disarray without their leader. Gil returned to the palace acting as the intermediary Emperor, but even his efforts were not enough.

Hayate smiled at the exchange between guardian and attendant. Rein was a crafty one, and the Empress fully expected more attempts by the small guardian to scare the living daylights out of Shamal. Her little guardian was very much like a child in that regard. Not unlike herself when she was younger. Though between the both of them, Rein was the more mischievous one.

"So where did you disappear to earlier Rein?" Hayate asked, her gaze returning to the scroll in her hand. It was a request from Signum to double the numbers of samurai in the middle district. Signum suspected another incident of the magical kind would soon occur there. And the pink haired captain wanted to be best prepared should her fears be realized. Signum had yet to be wrong.

Rein zipped through the air, swirling around Hayate once before stopping to hover just above the scroll she held. "I went exploring" Rein said happily.

Blue furry ears twitched. Now that Shamal was on her feet once more, Zafira took his place next to the Empress and sat down on her left. The demon wolf yawned lazily before he lay his head down on his front paws. Brown eyes watched the small guardian hovering in front of his master. Whenever Rein went _exploring_, you knew that she always went looking for trouble. She was very much like Vita.

"Exploring?" Shamal said truly intrigued. "That sounds like fun."

A small smile crept up on the Empress' face.

"It is!" Rein said jumping up and down in the air. The little guardian zipped over to the blonde attendant. "The middle district has all of these neat things I've never seen before! You should come with me next time Shamal-san. I'll show you." The silver haired guardian giggled just thinking about her previous adventures.

"How are Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan doing?" Hayate said, looking up from her scroll yet again.

The truth of her heritage and birthright wasn't revealed to Hayate right away. It wasn't until a year after taking the royal throne did she finally learn of everything. Plucked from her normal life, suddenly thrust into the world of politics and imperial nobility, the short brown haired girl found it difficult to switch from one life to another. Hayate no longer had the freedom to do what she wanted, when she wanted, nor did she have the solitude she much enjoyed as she was now watched 24/7 for her own safety and protection.

The small silver haired guardian paused in her animated movements, having been in the middle of telling Shamal about the fisherman from the middle district she was spying on earlier. Tiny blue eyes looked at larger blue ones, a flicker of sadness coming to the surface.

"I see..." the Empress said quietly, looking back to the scroll in her hand. Without a second thought, Hayate stamped the scroll with her imperial seal, approving Signum's request.

Yagami Hayate had to grow up quickly. The imperial court needed her. Her people needed her. Her country needed her. But even so, all of the responsibilities of ruling a country were overwhelming for a nine year old child. She no longer had any living family left to support and guide her. She missed her friends terribly. And she held the fate of the country in her tiny hands. That was a lot to take in.

Despite all of this, it was the loss of her friends that impacted her the most. It was her friends who got her through the tough times. Takamachi Nanoha, the one who always made her laugh with her clumsiness. Alisa Bannings, the one who would always chase the boys away from teasing her. Tsukimura Suzaka, the one who would always made the best tasting tea in all of the districts. And the newest addition to their group of friends, Harlaown Fate, the one who would always cheer her up with a smile.

"Rein."

"Hai Hayate-sama?" The small guardian looked at her master expectantly.

"Keep watching over them for me, like you always do." Hayate smiled at the little one before fetching another scroll from the pile on the table next to her.

"Hai!"

Unable to go back to her past life as a normal girl, Yagami Hayate became one of the many victims who were killed in the Garden of Time incident. It hurt her so much to have to lie to her friends, the people she looked to like family. But that was a necessary precaution. She didn't want her friends to be targeted because of her. So the girl known as Yagami Hayate died 10 years ago, much to the grief of her best friends. Only her closest attendants and guards knew her real identity. Everyone else only knew her as the Empress.

Yet even so, the Empress still watched over her friends and would continue to do so. Even if they thought her dead.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Some of you will notice that some of the character names in this chapter are written with the first name followed by the last name, and others are written with their last name before the first name. I was fighting with myself about this for the longest time. In Japan, people typically write their last name followed by their first name. And in America, it's the opposite with the first name followed by the last name. So what I've decided to do was to write the Japanese names with last name followed by first name and the non Japanese names with first name followed by the last name. Somehow it just sounds better that was for me, though I'm sure I may have mixed a few of the names up. Oh well. Bear with me. Lol._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	7. The Ace of Aces

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 6: The Ace of Aces ~ ***

"Welcome to Midori-ya Café!"

"Uwah…"

The party of three standing at the door was stunned. The Midori-ya café was absolutely filled to the brim today. People were everywhere. In the booths. At the tables. Even extra chairs had suddenly appeared to accommodate the unusually large amount of people. In fact, the small group had been waiting in line for the past fifteen minutes just to get inside, the line itself large enough to snake around the small building twice.

"Tea-chan, the booth in the corner just opened up!" said a short navy haired server as she dashed past her companion.

"Thanks Subaru!"

Violet eyes ogled the tray full of sweet delights in the girl's hand as the short haired server zipped around a few tables before depositing them in front of eager and hungry customers.

"Just the three of you?" Teana tucked a lock of orange hair behind her ear.

"Hai" the taller of the trio replied, removing the hood of her cloak. Pink locks cascaded down her back. The other two followed Signum's example and also pulled down their hoods.

"This way then Signum-sama."

"Signum… sama?" The shortest of the trio raised an eyebrow at Signum as they all followed behind the red-headed server to the booth in the corner.

"I've… stopped in a few times before…" Signum said nonchalantly, carefully choosing her words. Her eyes did not go down to meet her companion's gaze.

"Uh huh." A grin formed on the smallest one's lips.

Leave it to Signum to act like that was the most normal thing in the world for her. That being, to visit a café like this. The captain of the samurai rarely wandered around the city, unless she was on a mission of some sort. And when she was not on a mission, she would be with the Empress, as it was her duty to protect their ruler and leader. At least, that's what Signum had said before. Enjoying the simple things in life, like a nice walk in the park or eating a favourite dessert, just weren't things Signum did.

The trio sat down at the booth Teana led them too, Signum seating herself on one side of the table, with Vita and third member of their party sitting down on the side opposite the pink haired samurai. Long paper leaflets were set in front of them, bound together by a small string at the top. It was the Midori-ya Café menu.

"So what will you like to start with?" Teana pulled out a pad of paper and a thin piece of charcoal from the pocket of her apron.

"Tea" was all Signum said, not even looking at her menu.

Teana nodded, making a note on her pad, before turning to look at Signum's companions for their order.

"And whatever it is that gentleman over there is having."

Teana and Vita did a double take at Signum. Signum was not particularly a sweets type of person. Anything food related ordered outside of the imperial palace was always strictly tea. Nothing more. Signum was a rather picky eater, that fact unknown to most. And so, for the pink haired samurai to now request a piece of the sweetest triple chocolate cake known to man, Teana openly gawked at the woman. Vita too, knowing full well what the captain's preferences were.

"That looks absolutely marvellous!" the blonde next to Vita exclaimed, her violet eyes also following Signum's gaze. "What is it?"

"Heh heh" came a new voice. The arm which draped around Teana's shoulders snapped the red head out of her stupor.

"You have a good eye there ma'am" Subaru said grinning like a Cheshire cat. "That just so happens to be the greatest delicacy known to the entire world!" Subaru's eyes glazed over momentarily, the server nearly drooling when she thought about just how awesome that cake was.

"Subaru!" Teana scowled. The café was extremely busy today. None of them could afford to take a break to chat with so many customers to attend to. Especially Subaru, the girl with the attention span of a five year old. But Subaru paid Teana no heed.

Shamal brought up her hands to her mouth and gasped. "Oh my! Then I must try a piece myself!" She smiled sweetly.

Suburu gave Shamal a thumbs up. "Good choice!"

Teana sighed and scribbled on her pad.

"I want the white one!" came a high pitched squeal.

Signum, Shamal and Vita went stiff as boards, Vita's eyes widening.

"The white one?" Teana looked at Vita, thinking the voice had come from her.

Suburu looked around to the tables closest them, trying to pinpoint _the white one_. "Oh!" she exclaimed, another cheeky grin widening on her face. "You mean the Angel cake?" Subaru pointed to the white fluffiness on a customer's plate two tables down from them. Teana followed her gaze.

"Hai!"

Thankfully both Subaru and Teana were looking away from the trio when the high pitched reply came back. Otherwise they would have noticed Vita's lips not moving. The youngest of the customers grabbed at her cloak and held it tighter to herself. "Rein!" she hissed quietly.

With the café as noisy as it was from all of the chatting customers enjoying their treats, Vita's hiss went unnoticed by the two servers.

A soft giggle. "But I want it!" the hidden little guardian whined.

Teana turned back to look at Vita. Vita smiled wearily at her.

"The Angel cake is just wonderful, if I do say so myself." Teana smiled, quickly scribbling on her notepad Vita's order. "So, I have two orders of Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake and one Angel Cake" Teana said reading off the orders. "Signum-sama ordered tea as well. Shall I get you both some tea too?"

Before either Vita or Shamal could reply, a startled cry rang out. Teana instinctively spun around to snap at Subaru for whatever her carelessness was this time, but held her tongue when she spotted her partner standing right next to with her hands up defensively. Blue eyes wandered over to the middle of the café where they widened. A full tray of plates with desserts went flying up into the air, the server carrying them flailing as they fell backwards off balance. Teana cringed and immediately squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the loud clatter that would soon follow when the dishes crashed to the floor. But it never came.

"Sugoi Fate-san!" Subaru whooped, pumping a fist into the air. Unlike Teana, she had watched the whole thing. A blur of yellow whooshed out from the kitchen. A quick hand snatched the tray from the server's hand, deftly manoeuvring it to catch the falling plates before they smashed to the ground, while the other hand prevented the same server from taking an embarrassing spill.

"Are you alright Takamachi-san?" Fate said, helping stand the older woman on her feet. She smiled.

Vita went absolutely rigid in rage upon sight of the long blonde haired girl.

"Vita."

The only thing keeping the hammer knight from leaping across the room and tackling her opponent was Signum's stern look. Shamal put a hand on Vita's shoulder, the younger girl scowling before she crossed her arms over her chest and looked in the opposite direction.

The brunette laughed in embarrassment taking the tray from the younger girl. "Thank you Fate-chan. You're a life saver."

Fate blushed shyly. "I-it was nothing…"

"Way to go Fate-chan!" someone cheered.

"That was amazing!" another person said.

The customers in the café cheered and clapped. The blush on Fate's face deepened.

"Onee-chan."

"Eh?" Fate looked to the older Takamachi.

"Call me Onee-chan, Fate-chan."

"H-hai… Takamachi Miyuki-san."

"O-Nee-Chan" Miyuki repeated, much to Fate's embarrassment.

"Thank the gods we have Fate-san here today" Teana breathed in relief. "I'm not sure we'd make it without her." Teana looked over to Subaru who was still cheering Fate on with the rest of the customers. "Especially with this one here."

Shamal giggled.

"Subaru!" Teana bonked her partner on the head with her fist.

"Gah! Tea!" Subaru winced, rubbing her head.

"Take this to the kitchen and get back to work!" Teana shoved the paper with the trio's orders on it into Subaru's hands and hustled the navy haired girl towards the back.

"Say…" Vita said speaking up for the first time. "If Takamachi-san is out here, who's in the back?"

It was a well known fact that the older Takamachi was often found in the kitchen preparing the food. It wasn't too often the brunette ended up serving the customers herself unless there was very little to do and she was bored out of her mind. But as there were so many customers in the café today, Miyuki should have been in the back going crazy with orders.

"Ah, that would be-"

"Fate-chan!"

"Hai Nanoha!"

"Nano… ha…" Vita's head snapped back to look towards the said girl. Vita watched as Nanoha emerged from the kitchen with two fully loaded trays in her hands, plates of delicious pastries steaming enticingly having been just pulled fresh out of the oven.

"The next orders are ready."

"Hai!"

Vita sunk back into the booth, pulling her hood over her head. Shamal raised an eyebrow at the action as the younger girl tried to hide herself from the rest of the café behind Shamal's body.

"Takamachi Nanoha-san" Teana said, finishing her words from earlier. "Our Ace of Aces. Well, both she and Fate-san that is."

All of them watched as Fate took the heavily loaded trays from Nanoha, the two girls smiling at each other before parting ways. Nanoha disappeared into the kitchen once again while Fate literally danced around the café, from table to table, delivering the sweet goodies to the awaiting customers with a smile.

"Usually Miyuki-san watches over the kitchen" Teana continued, a smile on her face as she watched Fate interact with the customers. "But on occasion, Nanoha-san takes over for a day and the café literally explodes with people like today."

Teana shrugged. "I don't know how word gets around, but before we know it, everyone is practically pushing their way in to try Nanoha-san's pastries. You won't find anywhere else which makes it better."

"So that's why you were so insistent on coming today" Shamal said cheekily as she looked at Signum.

Blue eyes widened before Signum quickly looked to the side, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I-it was just a coincidence Takamachi-san so happened to be in the kitchen today."

"I see." Shamal chuckled. Signum was absolutely adorable! It wasn't too often one got to tease the captain of the samurai.

_CRASH!_

Teana face palmed and sighed heavily. "SU-BA-RU!"

"It was an accident Tea! I swear!"

Teana sighed again, shaking her head. "Someone will be back with your orders shortly" she said before disappearing deeper into the café to serve more customers.

"Subaru-chan is so clumsy!" Rein poked her head out from Vita's cloak and giggled.

"You!" Vita grabbed the mini guardian and shoved her back inside her cloak before anyone saw her. "Are you trying to get caught!"

"Vita-chan is right" Signum said, in that commanding yet calm tone of hers. "We promised Ha-" Signum cleared her throat. "We promised not to cause any trouble."

"But we won't get into trouble" Rein stated, flying out from under Vita's cloak to land on the table. "No one can see me but you three. I'm invisible!"

"E-eh?"

Everyone jumped at the sound of a new voice next to them. Fate stood next to their table, with a tray of mugs filled with hot tea in one hand, staring directly at Rein on the table. Signum, Shamal, and Vita all froze, suppressed terror on all of their faces. Even Rein froze, the little guardian swallowing nervously under narrowing maroon coloured eyes. But then Fate blinked and shook her head.

"Sorry, I thought I saw something. But I guess not."

The knights all sighed with relief as Fate deposited a mug in front of each one of them, the mugs of tea just missing Rein as they were placed on the table. Whether that was a conscious thing or just pure luck, they didn't know. Rein for one, was thankful not to be squished by a hot mug of tea. As much as she was invisible to common folk, she didn't fancy the idea of getting smooshed because of it.

"Your orders will be here shortly. If you need anything in the mean time, please don't hesitate to call on me." And with that, Fate smiled and then disappeared just like Teana did to serve other customers.

Rein wearily fell back on her romp and breathed heavily. "For a moment there, I actually thought she saw me. Hehehe…"

"That was rather… exciting…" Shamal commented, a hand over her still rapidly beating heart. She giggled. "But even so, I can definitely see why all of you love this place. It's just wonderful."

Shamal's gaze washed over the interior of the Midori-ya café. It was a simple enough establishment. The kitchen was at the back, a single wall separating it from the seating area. There was a rectangular opening in that wall, allowing customers to see through to the back and into the kitchen. Though with small curtains covering up the upper half of the opening, all one really saw was the steaming hot delicacies that were pulled out of the oven and left to cool before serving. There was also a hint of white hustling around occasionally, that being Nanoha's apron as the girl buzzed around the kitchen like a bee.

Along the outer walls, booths lined up around the perimeter, seating up to four people at once. A row of two-seater tables bordered the booths, with the rest of the space taken up by tables that could seat up to four people. If needed, tables could be dragged together for larger parties that may visit the café.

On the walls hung paintings from local artists, and very good ones at that. As Hayate was looking to spruce up the imperial palace a bit, Shamal made a note of several of the artist's names to seek them out later. Surely they would love to do a commission for the Empress sometime.

The light in the cafe was sufficient, not too bright and not too dim. The waiting staff was truly precious, each one of them having their own unique quarks about them, both good and bad. Yet even so, they were all equally as friendly which truly made this place as wonderful as it was. While this eatery was smaller than most in the middle district, the charm and comfort of the place was by far the best Shamal had ever experienced anywhere in the city.

"It's too bad _she_… couldn't be here too today" Shamal said quietly. "She would have loved it. To see them again..."

Signum nodded silently at Shamal's statement. Hayate would have truly loved to be here with them. But such things were just not possible. If only there was another way-

A soft rumbling passed through the area, no one in the café noticing it except for Signum, Shamal, Rein and Vita. All of them went ramrod straight, a soft chiming heard as their hidden weapons alerted them to what they feared had come to pass. A burst of magic. A lot of it. And close by too.

Vita gritted her teeth. Of all the time for another fight to break out! The four companions rose to their feet, Rein floating up into the air to hover near Signum's shoulder. Signum hastily tossed coins on the table to pay for their desserts that had yet to come. But before they got any further, a loud clatter in the kitchen stilled the noisy air of the café, followed by a panicked voice.

"Nanoha!"

Vita's heart dropped. _No!_ The youngest knight took off before the others could even blink, dodging tables and customers with an amazing grace before sliding to a halt in the doorway of the kitchen. _No!_

"Nanoha!"

Fate clutched to an unconscious Nanoha, trays and broken dishes that once held desserts scattered in a circle around the two girls. The blonde was shaking her friend, the brunette limp and unmoving in her arms. Fate was screaming Nanoha's name over and over again, but Nanoha did not wake.

"Na…noha…" Vita's voice got caught in her throat. "NANOHA!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Sugoi = Amazing_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	8. Raging Heart

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 7: Raging Heart ~ ***

"Sorry Fate-chan. I didn't mean to worry you like that. Nyahaha…"

Nanoha was in her room, sitting on her futon with half the blanket covering her legs and the other half scrunched up at her waist. Long brown hair flowed freely down her back, her normal waitress attire in a neat pile near the window. A short sleeved pink robe adorned her figure, something more comfortable and much cooler than her white apron and full length yukata. Two blondes sat on either side of the futon, both of their attentions on the brunette between them.

Fate sighed, the tension in her shoulders slowly easing. She offered Nanoha a mug of cool water, of which Nanoha gratefully took from her and drank.

"Thankfully it was nothing serious" Shamal said as she packed away her tools in her bag. Rein stood next to Shamal's bag on the matted floor, looking up in concern at Nanoha. Vita and Signum had gone ahead to investigate the magical outburst from earlier.

"Just a small case of exhaustion" Shamal continued. "With a day of rest, you'll be right as rain Takamachi-san. Or so the western saying goes." The Empress' attendant smiled at the younger girl.

"Did you hear that Nanoha?" Fate turned from Shamal to Nanoha. "A day of rest. Not sneaking down to the kitchen the moment Shamal-sama leaves to start baking again."

The Takamachi residence resided on the second floor of the Midori-ya Café. A stairwell in the kitchen led up to the Takamachi home. While not the most spacious of accommodations, it suited their needs well enough. A room for Nanoha and Miyuki. Another for Kyouya. And a third room for the elder Takamachis. The rooms had since been rearranged with their parents' deaths. Kyouya took over their parents' room for himself with Miyuki moving into his room. That left Nanoha with the last room. With Kyouya now the head of the household, that arrangement made the most sense.

"Fate-chan! Mou!" Nanoha pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You make it sound like I'm obsessed with baking or something."

"Obsessed?" Fate said incredulously. "Not at all. You only live, breathe and eat pastries."

"I do not!" Nanoha huffed, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "I just like sweet things…" she murmured.

Shamal giggled, watching the two friends in amusement. The green robed attendant could see why Hayate cared so much for them. They were truly precious friends, ones that could bring a smile to a stranger's face without any effort. It was such a tragedy that they had to be separated from each other. It broke Shamal's heart just thinking about it. Hayate desperately longed to see her friends. If only there was a way she could without anyone being put in danger…

Fate chuckled, smiling. Rein tilted her head to the side, looking up at Fate with an eyebrow raised.

"W-what?" Nanoha said, noticing the blonde's eyes lingering on her.

Before Nanoha could even react, Fate pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "Don't you ever scare me like that again" the blonde whispered, burying her face in Nanoha's shoulder. Fate trembled slightly. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too…"

Nanoha sat frozen, momentarily stunned. But she soon recovered and wrapped her arms around the blonde, patting her back. "Sorry Fate-chan…" Nanoha smiled sadly, resting her head against her best friend's.

Hands went up to Rein's mouth as tears welled up in the little guardian's eyes. Shamal glanced down at the tiny one, not quite understanding the reaction from Rein, but said nothing and continued to pack her bag. Rein's heart ached, ached in rhythm with Nanoha's and Fate's aching hearts. The two best friends were still feeling the loss of her master. Someone who lived, yet not at the same time. They mourned for their lost friend Hayate. Shamal rose to her feet, the movement separating Nanoha and Fate.

"Shamal-sama?"

"Oh, don't mind me" Shamal said, waving at the pair dismissively. "I should get going now. I've taken up more than enough of your time."

"Don't say that Shamal-sama" Fate said standing up. "We were very lucky that you happened to be visiting the Café at the time. Signum-sama is fortunate to know a wonderful healer like yourself." Fate smiled.

"I'm glad I could be of help" Shamal said with a smile.

Violet eyes looked to a twin pair of violet eyes. "Now remember Takamachi-san, you need to rest for a whole day before even thinking about stepping foot into the kitchen again. Understood?"

"Hai!"

"I'll walk you out Shamal-sama" Fate said making her way to the door and opening it.

"Come back soon Shamal-sama!" Nanoha called after the woman. "I still owe you my triple chocolate cake." A wink.

Rein, floating next to Shamal's bag, opened her mouth to interject. But with ninja-like speed, Shamal grabbed the little guardian out of the air and stuffed her into her bag pretending to tuck a loose item in safely. "Add a slice of Angel cake with that, and you have yourself a deal."

"Deal!" Nanoha said giggling.

Fate smiled. "I'll be right back Nanoha."

"Hai."

The door to Nanoha's bedroom slid shut. Nanoha continued to stare at the door, until the soft padding of feet faded away down the stairs. A soft chime interrupted her silent reverie, a ball of red light glowing just near the base of Nanoha's neck.

"**Master?"**

A hand reached up and pulled out the source of the red light, hidden beneath her robe. A red magatama jewel hung from a black corded rope, intricately braided and woven into a tight knit pattern.

"I'm alright Raging Heart." Nanoha held the red gem in her hand as she looked at it. "Just… a bit startled..." Nanoha looked out her bedroom window. "Was that…"

"**Yes." **the red magatama jewel chimed. "**Another magical explosion was detected."**

Nanoha closed her fist around the red jewel. "Was it the same one that woke you up?"

A pause. "**No, my Master."**

"So then… that one is still out there…" Nanoha opened her hand, violet eyes once again staring at the red magatama jewel.

"**It is possible."**

Nanoha closed her eyes.

* * *

_~ Flashback to 2 years ago ~_

"Watch out!"

Nanoha tackled Vita to the ground just as a brilliant white light engulfed them both.

"**Protection!"** a voice chimed.

There was an explosion of sound and a rush of wind before things went quiet again.

"What in the…"

Violet eyes cracked open, Nanoha still tense and rigid as the expected pain and agony from a magical attack had yet to happen. Nanoha knew what a Spirit Seed was. And she knew of the horrific powers they held. But instead of finding herself with a life threatening burn or wound, she instead found herself and Vita encapsulated in a pink barrier. And it was that same barrier which had protected them from the magical blast. Vita was out cold next to her. And the assassin with the Spirit Seed could only gawk at them.

A red light drew her eyes downward and Nanoha soon found herself entranced by the glowing red magatama jewel hanging off of her black corded necklace. It was a gift from Yunno, a type of good luck charm of sorts. With the Spirit Seeds being part of every day life, a growing trend started among the jewellers in the country. Multi-coloured magatama jewels (except blue which was the colour of real Spirit Seeds) started popping up everywhere as good luck charms. Made of glass or crystal, it became all the rage with the younger generations who were superstitious enough to believe in things like that. Yunno had given a red crystal one to Nanoha for her last birthday.

"It's warm…" Nanoha murmured, holding the glowing gem in her open palm.

"**The wind is in the sky, and the stars are in the heavens…"** the red jewel chimed.

Nanoha found herself unable to pull her gaze away from the gem. The words it spoke to her seemed so familiar, like whispers in a dream. She knew them. Her heart knew them. Even despite having never heard them ever before until now. It waited for her.

"And a resolute heart beats within my chest" Nanoha responded in a trance-like mantra. Half hooded eyes stared at the pulsing gem, an incredible sense of calm and warmth spreading over her.

The red magatama jewel chimed in recognition to its masters words. All that was left was for Nanoha to call it by its name. The name that only she would know.

"This magic in my hand…"

Violent eyes snapped open and bore down at the stupefied assassin, the blue Spirit Seed in his hand reacting to the red light expanding from Nanoha's own gem.

"Raging Heart!" Nanoha shouted.

A brilliant pink light engulfed the area shortly followed by a loud scream. When the light faded, Nanoha collapsed to the ground unconscious, her red magatama jewel in her hand. Vita awoke moments later to find the last of the assassin crumpled on the ground, his Spirit Seed missing. Blue eyes wandered over to the form next to her.

"NANOHA!"

_~ End Flashback ~_

* * *

Nanoha opened her eyes, once again looking down at the red magatama gem in her hand.

"**We will find it, my Master."** the red gem chimed.

"Hai…" Nanoha whispered, before clutching the gem to her chest.

* * *

Rein's head suddenly popped out the side of Shamal's bag. The blonde attendant had not noticed the movement, as she was talking with Fate on their way down the stairs.

"I'm not sure what I would've done had you not shown up when you did Shamal-sama" Fate said quietly. "Thank you."

Rein shook her head. The little guardian was so sure she had felt something just now. But nothing looked out of the ordinary. Rein sat back down inside Shamal's bag among the healer's instruments, sighing. Perhaps she was just imagining things.

"I'm glad I was here" Shamal said, the every present smile on her face yet again. "It must have been very scary for yo-"

The short haired blonde gasped suddenly, finding a shadowed figure before them in the doorway to the cafe. "S-Signum-san!" Shamal exclaimed.

"S-Signum-sama?" The sudden appearance by the pink haired samurai had also startled Fate. Last that Fate saw, Signum and her shorter companion were hurrying out of the Midori-ya, already late for some appointment of theirs. The blonde didn't really get a good look at the smaller one to know who she was though.

"My apologies" Signum said with a curt bow. "I meant not to surprise you."

Shamal looked at the samurai, face twisting into concern. "Signum-san, what is it? What's wrong?"

Signum's lips pressed into a fine line. "Is Takamachi-san still awake? I must… talk to her…"

Fate's brows furled in fear. As stoic as Signum was, Fate could just make out a subtle undertone to her voice. A grave one. "W-what is it?"

Signum clenched the hilt of her Levantine in a tight fist. "There's been… an accident… at the Takamachi dojo" the captain of the samurai said. Accident? Who was she kidding? They were attacked.

"Was anyone hurt?" Shamal said, hands covering her mouth in shock. Even Rein popped her head out of Shamal's bag in concern.

"H-hai…" Signum's voice faltered. "Takamachi Kyouya and Takamachi Miyuki."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _I know the true name of Nanoha's weapon is Raising Heart, and due to whatever reason, in some translations it came out to be 'Raging Heart.' Personally I think 'Raging Heart sounds cooler, and for my fanfiction purposes, it fits better for what I have in mind later on. So in my story, it shall be Raging Heart._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	9. A Samurai's Guilt

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 8: A Samurai's Guilt ~ ***

Takamachi Miyuki ran through the streets of the middle district. Nanoha had collapsed just moments ago and the older Takamachi now dashed towards the family dojo to tell Kyouya the news. Thankfully, the Takamachis were surrounded by many friends at Midori-ya, and as luck would have it, one of the imperial healers was visiting the café at the time. The healer was currently attending to the youngest of the three siblings. While it relieved Miyuki to know that Nanoha was in good hands, the brunette was no less shaken by it all.

The surviving siblings knew how easily things could change in an instant. Ten years ago, their parents were snatched away from them, in the most brutal of ways. Nanoha had almost joined them too. Since that fateful day, the Takamachi siblings grew even closer together, vowing to make the most of the remaining lives together. And that meant putting family first, above everything. Which is why Miyuki was running to the dojo now. Kyouya had to know.

In her rush to inform her brother, with the fear of seeing her imouto's limp form clouding her normally astute senses, Miyuki did not notice the smoking remains of the dojo window as she reached for the paper sliding door. Nor did she pay any heed to the angry voices coming from inside. And so with a hasty pull, the door to the dojo slid open and Miyuki rushed through.

"Kyouya-"

"MIYUKI!"

Everything exploded in white.

* * *

Takamachi Kyouya stood panting, bokken in hand and gripped tightly. Sweat rolled down the side of his cheek, stinging a minor cut there when sweat met wound. His arm also stung, skin partly scorched and blackened. Just moments ago, his lesson was interrupted by the explosive entrance of a black garbed assassin tumbling through the dojo window. The said assassin, belonging to one of the many factions warring in the city for power and dominance, had a Spirit Seed. The blue magatama jewel pulsed in the assassin's hand to a silent beat.

"I have no interest in the likes of you" the masked man said. "Just give me what I want and I may let you live!"

Kyouya clenched his jaw, further tightening his grip on his blade. It was only natural for the master of the dojo to deal with the threat his students currently faced. Not to mention, the dojo was his responsibility, something he had taken over when his parents died. Kyouya had no intention of letting the place get ripped apart without a fight. Too many memories were held within these walls. Takamachi Shiro literally built this place with his own two hands. And no one, not even some snot nose punk of an assassin, was going to destroy this place if he could help it. This dojo was one of the few places the Takamachi siblings had left which reminded them of their parents.

"How about you leave here" Kyouya said widening his stance. "And I'll pretend you didn't just barge in here and threaten our lives. I'll even forget this whole thing happened in the first place."

The assassin merely laughed. "And just what are you going to do if I stay? Beat me with your toy sword?" The assassin laughed again. "You can't defeat me with that. And you know it."

Kyouya narrowed his eyes. "The last thing you want to do is anger me. I'm not very nice when I'm angry. Leave now. This is your last warning."

The black suited assassin merely smirked, calling Kyouya's bluff.

Kyouya gritted his teeth. The assassin was right. How could a bokken stand any chance against a Spirit Seed? The dojo master didn't know how the man before him acquired and tamed such power. Those things were dangerous and said to be almost incontrollable. Yet the assassin he faced right now was very much in control of it. If he wasn't, Kyouya would have been blasted away by the first shot of magic and not two of his students who lay unconscious on the floor on either side of him. Their fallen forms were Kyouya's one and only warning.

"Give me the Spirit Seed!" the assassin growled.

"This is a dojo!" Kyouya roared back. "This is a place of teaching and learning! Not a museum for Spirit Seeds!"

The man in black scowled. "Well that's too bad then. It seems I wasted my time for nothing." Eyes narrowed at Kyouya. "I guess I'll just have to take it out on you then."

Kyouya tensed when the Spirit Seed pulsed loudly. Then the door to the dojo swooshed open, and a familiar form rushed in.

"Kyouya-"

Kyouya's eyes widened in horror. For a split second his eyes met that of the assassin's and the glint in the intruder's eyes was unmistakeable.

"MIYUKI!"

Before Miyuki could say anything further, the Spirit Seed in the assassin's hand exploded in white light. Miyuki's eyes went wide and a split second later her form vanished under a blast of white magic. Kyouya stood frozen in his spot, in complete and utter shock.

"Mi…yu…ki…" Kyouya could barely speak. This was not happening. This couldn't be happening. This was just like how his parents were taken away from him. Like how his imouto was almost taken from him. This was a joke right? It had to be a joke. But when Kyouya stiffly turned back to the assassin to see him smirking, he knew it was true.

"MIYUKI!" Kyouya charged the assassin in a blind rage. His scream came out like a feral growl, of a predator as it pounced on its pray. The assassin flinched, shocked by the speed Kyouya possessed. Not giving the man a chance to retaliate, Kyouya slashed his blade downwards with everything he had. As the wooden sword connected with the man's shoulder, the Spirit Seed in the assassin's hand reacted to Kyouya's rage triggering the awakening of a second Spirit Seed just feet behind the dojo master.

Unbeknownst to Kyouya, Toshi, one of his younger and newer students, carried a Spirit Seed on him. He had found it a while back while working in the fields. As he had yet to discover what hidden power it held, Toshi kept it on him at all times in the hopes of eventually unlocking its secrets. With the violent reaction from the first Spirit Seed, Toshi's Spirit Seed also activated, the two magatama gems resonating in harmony before the dojo exploded in a burst of magic and splinters.

* * *

Signum gritted her teeth, the grip on her Levantine going white knuckled. She wanted to leave, to escape this place. To do something that would take her away from the sobs coming from inside the room. But she could not.

Signum stood silently in the doorway, of one of the many rooms in the city hospice, watching as Nanoha sat at the bedside of her injured brother and sister and wept. Fate was with her, holding the weeping girl around the shoulders and rubbing he back. But that provided little solace to the youngest Takamachi and Signum knew it.

They had gotten there too late. No matter how fast the pink haired samurai rushed to the scene, she and Vita had gotten there too late. The Takamachi dojo was in shreds. Bodies of students had been flung all over the place. The assassin who attacked them was dead, his body nothing more than a messy heap of bloodied black rags. The body of Toshi would later be identified, the youngster too having also been killed in the blast.

Two Spirit Seeds had been recovered and sealed at the scene, those closest to the magical jewels when they exploded receiving the worst of the damage. The other students had been luckier, many of them receiving minor burns, bumps or bruises. A few of them had some minor lacerations. As for the older Takamachis, that was a different story.

Takamachi Miyuki, whom Signum had seen just moments before this tragedy, currently lay in bed covered head to toe in bandages, fighting for her life. Had it not been for the quick actions of the healer on the scene, she would have been dead long ago. But even though she survived this horrific attack, she would most likely never wake up again.

Takamachi Kyouya, laying in a bed next to his unconscious imouto, would recover. However, being so close to the blast that left the attacking assassin in pieces, he was scarred very badly. Kyouya would never see again, his sight having been burned away by the magical explosion. And for the rest of his life, he would need help to do the simple things he once took for granted. Things like changing his clothes.

Signum made a fist. She wanted to hit something. No. She wanted to smash something. To destroy something. To completely trash something, in the hopes that the guilt and rage that festered inside of her would go away. But she knew that it never would. This was her fault. It was her duty to protect the Empress and the city's citizens. She should have noticed something was amiss sooner. She should have put in that request for more samurai earlier. She should have-

A hand on her shoulder made Signum flinch. Blue eyes looked back over her shoulder to find violet eyes, belonging to the Empress' attendant. The green robed woman smiled at her sadly before looking beyond the captain of the samurai to the weeping Nanoha.

"Shamal-san."

The pain in her friend's eyes tore at Shamal's heart. The normally strong captain of the samurai was hurting so much. Just as much as Nanoha was, if not more. Guilt was a heavy burden to bear, even more so alone. And Shamal knew how guilty Signum felt. Even when it wasn't Signum's fault.

Shamal rested her head against the back of Signum's shoulder, Signum turning her gaze back to Nanoha and the rest of the Takamachis. "It's not your fault" the blonde whispered.

A low growl erupted from the samurai. "You're wrong Shamal-san" Signum said through clenched teeth. Nails dug into her palms. "This is all my fault. I wasn't fast enough."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _In case there was some confusion, this chapter backtracks a bit to show what happened to Kyouya and Miyuki which lead to their 'accident.' For any of you who felt Kyouya was out of character, my apologies. I don't know his character so well and they didn't show much of him in the anime series itself, so I'm just winging it according to the situation. Feel free to offer some tips to better write him in character later on._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Imouto = Younger Sister_

_Bokken = Wooden sword_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	10. Resolve of the Empress

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 9: Resolve of the Empress ~ ***

_CRASH!_

Vita jolted awake. Her hand immediately darted for Graf Eisen, which was propped up next to the bed. Were they under attack? Who was attacking them? How did the intruders-

"GET OUT!"

Vita blinked. Okay, so maybe they weren't under attack. But from the sounds of things, Hayate was not in a very good mood right now. What time was it?

Sliding out of bed, Vita trudged over to door with her weapon in tow. Graf Eisen dragged behind her as she rubbed her eyes. The red head's bedroom was connected to Hayate's bedroom. And despite Vita's room being half the size of the Empress' room, it was no less comfortable. Being family had its perks, even if you were someone's grandfather's mother's brother's cousin's uncle's sister's daughter twice removed on the fifth side. Or something like that. Gil Graham had tried to explain her heritage to her once before, just how she was linked to Hayate by blood, but Vita pretty much gave up after he went through the fifth link in the family tree. Everything looked the same to her.

The hammer knight lazily pushed the door connecting hers and Hayate's room open. She was immediately blinded by the sunlight shining through the drawn curtains. "Haya-"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

Vita blinked again, her vision a bunch of white dots before it cleared and forms took shape. Squinting, the red head could just make out the blurred form of a servant dashing out of the Empress' chambers, the door slamming shut behind them.

"Vita-chan…"

Looking to her right, Vita found the small guardian of the Empress' tome floating next to her. "Rein?"

The silver haired sprite looked at Vita frowning. Vita didn't like that look. "What's wrong?" The padding of feet on the carpeted floor alerted the hammer knight to Zafira's presence as well.

Rein turned to look at her master. "She's been like this since yesterday."

Blue eyes followed Rein's gaze. Hayate was on the far end of her room, pulling book upon book upon book from one of her bookshelves. Books were discarded as quickly as she pulled them, the ancient tomes being unceremoniously dropped to the floor or tossed a short ways behind her. Each successive thump made Vita frown more.

"Why can't I find it! These are all useless!" Hayate hissed in frustration, tossing yet another antiquated book over her shoulder.

"She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon" Rein said quietly.

Zafira whined softly, Vita turning to look at the broken plate of scattered food on the ground before the demon wolf. Vita's eyes went back to the door again, where the servant had disappeared just before.

"Did she sleep?"

Rein shook her head. Vita bit her lip. The moment Vita returned to the palace yesterday, Hayate immediately pulled her aside and asked her about the explosion in the middle district. With the palace having a panoramic view of the city and Hayate's bedroom having the best view of the middle district, where all of her friends lived, there was no way the Empress wouldn't know about the incident.

To say Hayate was distressed after hearing it was the Takamachi dojo which exploded, would be putting it mildly. When Vita finished her report, Hayate immediately dismissed her, her relative's face unreadable. Signum and Shamal had stayed behind in the middle district to deal with the aftermath. Rein too, at least for a little bit. Which left Vita and Zafira to keep Hayate company. Though it was quite clear the Empress was in no mood to be social.

By the time the rest of them had returned to the palace, Hayate still hadn't come out of her room, not even for dinner. Vita went to sleep thinking Hayate just needed time to herself to sort out her thoughts. But now she saw how wrong she was. It seemed some tough love was in order.

"Why do I have these things in the first place! Pieces of junk!"

Vita sighed. What a way to start the morning. "I take it Hayate is not listening to either of you?"

Rein lowered her head. "I don't think she even realizes we're here."

Vita rubbed her face. The red head was so not in the mood to be dealing with this right now. Vita was NOT a morning person, first of all. Not to mention this was usually something Signum or Shamal handled. This wasn't the first time Hayate had lost her patience after all. Speaking of which…

"Shouldn't Signum-san or Shamal-san be with her at a time like this?" It surprised the hammer knight that neither of the two were here trying to calm the Empress down.

"They're checking on Nanoha's onii-san and onee-san."

Vita made a fist. _Nanoha…_ The red head scowled before sighing for the umpteenth time since she woke up this morning. It looked like it was up to Vita now to slap some sense into their leader.

"Hayate." Vita walked up to the Empress, her Graf Eisen left with Rein and Zafira. The smaller Wolkenritter had no intention of using her weapon on her blood relative. She also had no intention of allowing it to become something Hayate could grab and smack her with either. Contrary to her typical smiles and kindness, when the Empress was pissed off, she was very mean to be around. And scary.

"Not this one either!"

Vita ducked, inhaling sharply as a particularly heavy tome came flying in her direction. At her head. When the tome landed behind her, she could have sworn it made a dent in the floor. Vita growled. "Hayate!" she said louder, just short of yelling.

"Not now Vita-chan! I'm busy!" Hayate continued to rummage around the bookshelf.

Vita's eyebrow twitched. At least Hayate kept up the honorifics. That was a good sign. Maybe. But still, the only thing that saved Hayate from a slap upside the head was the fact that Hayate was the Empress. Vita hated being ignored.

The red head grabbed Hayate's wrist and spun her around. "Hayate! Would you just stop a moment?"

The hammer knight quickly swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as she fell under Hayate's hateful glare. Vita had never seen such anger and rage in her relative's eyes before. The darkness within those blue eyes was scaring her. It took all of Vita's will power just to remain rooted in her spot. The hammer knight never retreated, from anyone or anything. And the fact that all she wanted to do that right now was to run away and hide under her blanket, said a lot about the Empress' dark look.

"What part of _I'm busy_ did you not understand, Vita-chan?" Hayate's words came out forced, her jaw clenched.

Vita shivered, feeling very much like the kid she was. Small. "H-have you e-eaten?" Vita mentally cursed herself for the stutter. It couldn't be helped though. Hayate was just plain scary when she was angry.

"I'm not hungry" was Hayate's quick reply.

The Empress turned to go back to the bookshelf but Vita held onto her firmly. "You need to eat something." The smallest of the Wolkenritter quickly got her wits about her and steeled herself for the backlash she was about to receive.

"_I said_ I'm not hungry." Hayate almost growled those words, her blue eyes darkening further, and narrowing. She was in no mood to put up with Vita's current antics, family or not. There was work to be done. People were dying!

Rein whimpered softly. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

"You may not be hungry, but you're getting something to eat. With me. Now." Vita returned the glare Hayate was shooting at her.

"I don't have time for this Vita-chan!" Hayate said hissing. She was boiling with rage and anger and hate. She needed an outlet. She needed a solution to her peoples' pain. But most importantly, she needed to avenge the wrongs done against her friends. Sadly however, you couldn't just blow up half the city and be done with it. That would have been too easy.

"You will make time" Vita said, unmoving. The grip on Hayate's wrist tightened.

"If you are so insistent on me getting something to eat, send up a servant with a tray."

"So you can smack it to the ground and chase them off like you did the first one this morning?" Hayate was being stubborn, Vita knew. But Vita could be even more stubborn when she was ready.

"_Vita._" This time Hayate actually growled, menacingly and predator-like in nature. Zafira tensed on his feet, ears up and eyes alert.

"People are worried about you Hayate" Vita said unflinching. "_I _am worried about you. You can't keep doing this!"

"I can and I must!"

"Why!"

"People are dying out there Vita-chan!"

Hayate's yell echoed down the hallway outside of her room. Signum and Shamal, having just returned to the imperial palace and now on their way to Hayate's room, looked at each other before silently dashing down the carpeted floor to the Empress' chamber.

"Every moment I waste, more of my people get hurt! I have to stop it!" Hayate was shaking. Just the thought of her people suffering tore at her heart. But what hurt even worse was when it happened to one of her beloved friends.

"What good are you to your people if you collapse!" Vita gritted her teeth. What she was about to say disgusted her. She didn't want to resort to this, but if it snapped some sense into Hayate without Vita having to hit her, all the better.

"Do you really think Nanoha would want you to kill yourself like this? What do you think she'd do if she saw you like this right now!"

The red head took a deep breath in preparation of Hayate's next outburst. But it never came. Instead, the tears flooded the brunette's cheeks and Hayate collapsed to her knees, hands covering her face as he sobbed. Vita took a step back in complete and utter helplessness, the hammer knight not knowing what to do. This was not what was supposed to happen! Or was it?

"No…" Hayate said between sobs. "She'd h-hate me…" The Empress hiccupped, her body shuddering more as she cried. "I couldn't stop it… *sob* … I couldn't save them. I couldn't do anything like I promised I would!"

Rein brought her hands up to her mouth, tears rolling down her own cheeks. The little guardian flinched when the door to Hayate's chamber bolted open with Signum and Shamal freezing in the doorway. Zafira whined sadly, looking at the two newcomers.

"Nanoha… Fate… the others… *sob* … they're hurting so much…" Hayate said continuing to weep. "And I couldn't do anything… Just like before…"

Vita ignored her own tears, hugging Hayate gently. The Empress clutched at Vita's night shirt, her exhausted body shuddering as she buried her tearful face in Vita's shoulder.

Signum made a fist before spinning around and storming away.

"Signum-san!" Shamal chased after the pink haired samurai a few steps but then stopped. Signum had already disappeared around the corner. "Signum-san…"

The blonde attendant turned back towards the Empress.

"Why can't I help them…"

* * *

"Shamal."

"Hai Hayate-sama?" The green robed attendant moved from her spot by the door over to the Empress' bedside.

Evening was upon them, the stars starting to sparkle in the night sky. Zafira snoozed at the foot of Hayate's bed, with Vita curled up next to the brunette also sleeping peacefully. All of them had had a pretty long day.

"Please get a messenger to deliver this for me."

Shamal took the sealed envelope from the Empress, looking at it curiously.

"It's my reply to Jail Scaglietti" Hayate replied. She ran her fingers through Vita's hair. "He's a foreigner from the west who's offered to help us with our current state of unrest. I've decided to see him."

Blue eyes gaze out towards the balcony where the lights of the city shone below. "I think it's time to get some outside help on this matter."

"Hai Hayate-sama." Shamal bowed before leaving the Empress' chambers to find a messenger.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Onii-san = Big Brother_

_Onee-san = Big Sister_

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	11. Unspoken Burdens

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I know some of you have been waiting for the story to get back to NanoFate. They'll return next chapter. I still have to introduce a few characters, so for the time being, enjoy this one!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 10: Unspoken Burdens ~ ***

Mid day. The middle district.

A figure cloaked in grey stood outside of the Midori-ya Café, staring up at the second floor. Ten days had passed since the Takamachi dojo exploded into splinters. The incident had rocked the middle district to its very core. The Takamachi family was well known in the area, being one of the kindest set of siblings one could ever meet. Such was a rarity nowadays, especially with the escalating fights between clans and factions over Spirit Seeds and power. The Midori-ya Café had been closed since that day, with no hints that it would be opening up again anytime in the future. The lone figured sighed.

"Subaru?"

The cloaked figure jumped, spinning around to face the owner of the voice. "Tea…"

A second hooded figure walked up to the first one, and pulled back her hood. Orange locks of hair swayed in the soft breeze blowing past. "Here again?"

Subaru pulled back the hood of her cloak, running a hand through her short navy coloured hair. "Yeah…" She chuckled. "I just..." Subaru hung her head.

Teana gave Subaru a sympathetic smile. "I miss this place too." Teana's gaze moved up to the second floor of the café.

"Do you think…" Subaru bit her lip. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Of course they will, _baka_!" Teana smacked Subaru upside the head. "Think about who you're talking about it!" Teana scowled.

Though, as much as she scolded Subaru for her lack of faith, Teana couldn't deny that her own heart was clouded in doubt. The Takamachi dojo still lay in ruins. Two people were dead. Many injured, including Miyuki and Kyouya who would be forever scarred for life. Nanoha was devastated.

Subaru laughed wearily. "Sorry Tea…" she said rubbing the back of her head. "You're right. They'll be just fine!" Subaru flashed the red head her signature grin.

"After all, Scrya-sama got Miyuki-san transferred into the imperial hospital just a few days ago."

"E-eh?" Teana gawked at Subaru.

"W-what?" Subaru pulled at her collar nervously. "Y-you didn't hear?"

The red head shook her head furiously. "Where did you hear that?"

"O-oh…" Subaru scratched the back of her head, thinking. "I heard Otou-san and Gin-nee talking about it last night. I thought everyone had heard about it by now..."

Teana crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Teana wasn't mad at Subaru. Sure the girl could be ditzy and uncoordinated at times, but that was part of Subaru's charm. While the two of them shared a dwelling together, as Subaru wanted to be more independent from her family, the navy haired girl would often visit her father and sister frequently. And with both Subaru's father and Ginga working for the city guard, Subaru often got news about the inner dealings of the city before she did.

"So?"

"Huh?" Subaru looked at Teana in confusion.

"Is that it?" Teana tilted her head to the side and continued to stare at her partner.

"What do you mean?"

"What about Kyouya-san?" Teana clarified. "Is he in the imperial hospital too?"

Subaru shook her head. "He went home."

"Home?" Teana looked up to the second floor of the Midori-ya again.

Subaru nodded, doing the same. "He refused to leave Nanoha-san alone and insisted to come home." Subaru's expression dropped. "I was coming here to see how they were doing, but the place was all locked up."

Teana frowned.

"I didn't want to disturb them" Subaru said quietly. Her gaze fell upon the locked door of the Midori-ya Café. "Nanoha-san has been through a lot these past few weeks. I didn't want to bother her with an unexpected visit…"

* * *

"Who's there!" The two samurai currently guarding the burnt remains of the Takamachi dojo reached for their weapons.

There was a small whimper before two small forms emerged from the shadows of the alleyway opposite the wreckage.

"Children?" The two samurai relaxed. "I'm sorry, but this area is off limits. Please move along."

The smaller of the two children, a girl with cherry blossom pink shoulder length hair, bit her lip, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes. The white cloak she wore had seen better days, dirt and grim making it look grey with the hems frayed and torn. In her hands was a small bouquet of wild flowers. Blue eyes looked pleadingly at the closest samurai.

The man looked between the girl's face and the flowers in her hand, scratching his head reluctantly. With a quick glance to his partner, who gave him a small nod, the samurai sighed. "Is that for _them_?"

The little girl nodded.

The samurai sighed again, running a hand through his long brown hair before nodding over her shoulder. "Go on then" he said. "Make it quick and be careful."

The little girl's face lit up and she took off running past the samurai, smiling at the man as she did so. The samurai's partner trailed behind the young one to make sure she didn't seriously harm herself on the debris. The Empress would have both their heads if something happened to a civilian, far-a-less a little girl at that. Turning his head back to the street, the samurai was surprised to see the little girl's friend had not followed her.

"You're not going in yourself?" he asked the red headed boy.

The boy, who was a good head taller than his friend, merely scowled at the samurai. The samurai raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing further. Only when the patter of feet reached their ears, did the boy move his harsh gaze past the older man. The brunette frowned, his eyes watching as the young girl ran over to her friend and his partner return to his post.

The hatred in the boy's eyes was unmistakeable. The fact that it was there bothered the samurai greatly. No one so young should be filled with such pain and sorrow, but most of all, such hate. Something had no doubt happened to these small children, of which the samurai would never be able to find out. But still…

Before the samurai could ask them about their parents, two youngsters had already disappeared down the alleyway they originally came from, leaving the man to wonder just what had happened to them.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Baka = Idiot_

_Otou-san = Father_

_Nee-chan/Onee-chan = Big Sister_

_Gin-nee = Ginga nee-san = Big Sister Ginga _

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	12. The Calm Before the Storm

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 11: The Calm Before the Storm ~ ***

"I'm sorry Okaa-san, there's been a change in plans. I'm needed back at the palace."

Lindy sighed. "And I was so looking forward to cooking for everyone later. I even learned a new recipe for tonight." Another sigh.

"Sorry."

"I suppose it can't be helped. You have an important duty to fulfill after all." Lindy smiled, taking a quick sip of tea from her mug. "Things must be so exciting! It's not every day you get summons from the Empress herself. Requesting the aid of the City Guard to help envoy her guests, no less. They must be very important people."

Harlaown Chrono ran a hand through his short navy hair. "I'm not sure of the specifics myself yet. I only know that Signum-san brought the request to us personally."

"Signum-sama did?"

Both Chrono and Lindy turned to face the new voice.

"Ah, good morning Kaa-san, Nii-san." Fate bowed to both of them before making her way into the kitchen.

"Good morning Fate. Slept well?" Chrono smiled at his imouto, Fate returning the smile and nodding as she joined them at the table.

"Yes. Very well, thank you."

She may not have been his blood sister, but Chrono treated her no differently.

"Is everything alright?"

"Hai," Chrono nodded. "I'm just stopping in before I head back to the palace. I won't be joining you for dinner tonight like I promised." Chrono frowned.

Pulling out a chair, Fate seated herself at the end of the table. Lindy sat on her left and Chrono sat on her right. The blonde gave Chrono a sympathetic smile, knowing how work sometimes barged into their family time. Being Captain of the City Guard wasn't easy. And while Fate admired her brother for his dedication to the safety of all within the city gates, she did not envy him, especially because of times like this.

"Going to visit Nanoha-chan again today?" Lindy dished out rice from the cooker into a small ceramic bowl for her adopted daughter. A plate, chopsticks and a mug of tea already sat waiting on the table for Fate.

"Hai." Fate plucked some tamago from the serving dish on the table and dropped them onto her plate before reaching for some baked fish. "Kyouya-san returned home yesterday. I thought I'd pass by to make sure they're doing alright."

Fate pressed her palms together in front of her face, closing her eyes as she bowed her head. "Itadakimasu."

Chrono grimaced upon mention of the older Takamachi. Kyouya was a mentor to him of sorts, teaching him the ways of the blade back when Chrono was younger. The tragedy that befell the Takamachi siblings was a tragic one, bad luck seemingly cursed upon the family. First their parents were taken from them in the most brutal of ways, Nanoha almost killed herself. And now the dojo with the two older siblings had fallen. Chrono could only imagine what the youngest Takamachi was going through.

"That's very nice of you Fate-chan." Lindy watched the blonde smiling. Her elbows rested on the edge of the table with her chin resting on her intertwined fingers. "Nanoha-chan is very lucky to have such a wonderful friend."

Fate blushed at the comment, meekly scooping up a bit of rice with her chopsticks. "Ah, well… I'm sure she would have done the same if I were in a similar position."

"Send them both my regards when you visit" Chrono said rising from his chair.

Fate nodded at him as she continued to eat.

"I'll try my best to stop by later today" the older Harlaown sibling said. "Though I may not be able to with all that's happening. Amy said she'd still bring the twins over though."

"I'll be ready for them when they stop by" Lindy said with an infectious smile. "I bought bean cakes from the market yesterday and have been waiting to eat them with someone." She giggled.

Chrono chuckled. No matter how old his Kaa-san got, she always remained the young, and carefree woman he loved her to be.

"Nii-san."

Chrono paused in his steps and turned back to his imouto. "Hmm?"

"The message Signum-sama delivered. What did it say?" Fate looked up at her older brother curiously. Signum was not a messenger and by no means an errand girl either. The fact that she hand delivered the message to the City Guards had Fate both curious and worried. While it was true the samurai and city guards worked hand in hand on the safety of the city folk, Signum delivering a message from the Empress didn't sit well with the blonde.

Chrono scratched the back of his head. "I don't know much yet" he replied. "I'm to report to the palace to be briefed on everything. But… according to the rumours that have been flying around, a very influential alchemist from overseas is coming to meet with the Empress in a few days. Jail something or the other."

"From overseas? You mean from the west?"

"Hai." Chrono crossed his arms over his chest, a frown forming on his face. "The rumours go on to say that he's come to speak with the Empress about how to stop the Spirit Seeds once and for all, along with the faction wars ravaging the country."

Burgundy eyes went wide. Fate's jaw went slack. "Is… Is that even possible?"

Lindy smiled. Fate's awe struck expression was the cutest thing ever, if she thought so herself. "It's only rumours right now dear" the teal haired woman said. "Don't read too much into them just yet. Not until they have been verified as truth and not hearsay."

"But still…" Fate said, her food forgotten. "If that turns out to be true, do you really think he could really stop it all?"

Lindy's once cheerful expression dropped. "I don't know" she said, concern evident on her face. "This just seems so… convenient. An unheard of alchemist suddenly visiting the Empress saying he has the answer to it all… At a time when she's desperately searching for a way herself to stop all of this bloodshed… Something just doesn't feel right about it…"

* * *

"Stop! Thief!"

Erio Mondial ran as if his life depended on it. In some ways, it did. The portly noble chasing after him would surely have him executed, if not, have some limb taken from him if he got caught. All for a few silver coins the noble clearly didn't need. Not with the belly the man had.

The day had started off like any other. Erio got up at the break of dawn, just as the merchants were setting up their shops for the day. Using his size and the shadows to his advantage, Erio stealthily lifted a few loaves of bread and cheese from the various merchants and took off towards his make shift home. As hungry as he was right now, he wouldn't eat until he reached his destination.

Some would call that discipline, but it was far from that. It wasn't just himself he was stealing for. There were two more mouths to feed, and being the eldest of them all, Erio had to make sure they were satisfied first before he ate what was remaining. But on his way back home, the red head spied what he considered to be a big break. There, walking down the street coming towards him, was a rather well off looking noble. Round around the waist with a plump coin purse hanging off the man's belt just screaming to be plucked.

Normally Erio would have shied away from such aggressive methods of stealing. It was one thing to steal from a merchant's stall when the merchant's back was turned. It was an entirely different thing to actually steal one's coin purse from their very own person. You didn't have as much room to run away if you got caught.

Erio bit his lip. He had to try it. He had to. Things were starting to get desperate. The food he stole lately wasn't enough. His companion was getting worse, no matter how much food he got for her. She was sick and needed medicine. And food could not buy medicine. But coins could. Which is why he risked it all now. Before he couldn't fix things.

But Erio fumbled. Big time. Just as he was lifting the man's coin purse as they passed each other, the noble chose to look down for his coins at that exact moment, something in one of the merchant stalls nearby having caught his eye. For a few awkward seconds, the noble and Erio stared at each other in surprise. Then Erio got his wits about him and practically ripped the coin purse from the man's belt, taking off running. That action snapped the noble out of his shock and the chase was on.

"Thief! Stop him!"

Erio cursed. For a man so chunky, he certainly kept up with the younger, fitter boy. Even after four city blocks of running, the noble somehow managed to keep Erio within sight, even amongst the crowd of people they both zipped through. Erio's only saving grace was that the commotion had yet to grab the attention of a samurai or city guardsman. Once they got involved, it would be all over for him.

The red headed boy darted left, through the nearest alleyway between buildings. He had to change up his tactics here. Erio would never lose the noble if he kept running in a straight line. So he started to zigzag. There were a few grunts and yells behind him, Erio turning his head to look back over his shoulder to see what it was about. The noble, while surprisingly speedy, was not agile in the least bit. As much as the portly man tried to pull a sharp left turn into the alleyway like Erio did, he ended up tumbling past the entranceway into a mob of people. And hence all the yelling.

Erio smirked in triumph, still looking over his shoulder when he darted out of the alleyway. Turning his head forward the moment he stepped out of the dark path, he caught sight of something robed in black before-

A yelp. Food went flying. And then a tumble.

Erio lay on his stomach, winded and immobile in a daze. He had run full speed into something, tangled with it and then tumbled to the ground in a heap of limbs. The red head didn't know what exactly he ran into, but it was solid enough to knock the breath out of him and stun him.

Blinking a few times and remembering to breathe, Erio pushed himself off the ground into sitting position. He then realized that he wasn't on the ground itself. Nor were the things under his hands the cobblestones that lined the street. Blue eyes widened. No, not on the ground at all. Erio was sitting on top a person. The one he ran into. On her stomach that is. And his hands were still on her… her… Erio went beet red, instantly retracting his hands as if burned by fire.

"Itai…" the flaxen haired woman said groaning.

The sound of the woman's voice snapped Erio out of his thoughts, the younger boy scurrying off the woman and leaping to his feet. "Are you alright? I'm so sor-"

The red head immediately regretted his action, a painful twinge shooting up his right leg from his ankle, the moment his foot met the solid paved ground. Erio bit his lip and growled, doing his best not to scream in pain as he shifted his weight to his other foot. This was not good.

A hand went up to the blonde's head, wine coloured eyes blinking a few times as the daze lifted from her mind. "I'm just a bit winded" she said, giving Erio a small smile as she got her wits about her. "No harm done."

The woman (amazingly gorgeous in Erio's opinion) sat up and surveyed the scene around them. It was then she noticed him favouring his right foot. His lips pressed together into a fine line, his blue eyes full of pain. "Are you-"

"Thief! Stop thief!"

And then the noble chose this time to catch up to him.

"Kuso!" Erio spun around limping, the red head gritting his teeth as the portly noble barrelled through the alleyway he had come from, directly towards him. Erio made a fist. There was no way he could going outrun him now.

"You piece of trash!"

Erio tensed, his muscles twitching as the large man reached out a hand to grab him. Suddenly there was a blur of black and Erio found himself staring at a black kimono with cherry blossoms printed on it.

"Is there a problem Nooburu-san?"

The noble recoiled, more so in surprise than in disgust. With his attention solely focused on Erio, he hadn't noticed anyone else around him. Erio glared at the man when he gave the blonde in front of him a lecherous look, licking his lips. The boy's fist clenched harder, Erio wanting nothing more than to smack that smirk off the older man's face. But the moment he shifted his weight, the burning pain returned making him freeze in his spot wincing.

"No, no problem at all" the man said grinning.

Before the man could say anything further, the blonde spoke. "I am glad to hear that. Good day to you Nooburu-san."

As the black robed woman turned to face Erio, a meaty hand landed on her shoulder. "Say, how about you come back to my estate with me. I'm always looking for people with your… assets…"

Erio had enough of this. "Leave her alone you pig!" Ignoring the pain in his ankle, the red head rushed the noble twice his height and quadruple his weight, shoving the man back as hard as he could. But really, what could a mere child do against a full grown man of that size?

"Filthy rat!"

The portly man stumbled back a few steps from Erio's shove, but quickly recovered and swiftly kicked him in the ribs sending the boy crashing to the stone road hard. Erio clutched his stomach whimpering. The noble advanced one step forward before his left foot, the foot he currently had most of his weight on, was knocked out from underneath him and he was sent flailing backwards by an open palm strike to the solar plexus.

"You harlot!" The unsightly man scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily.

Burgundy eyes narrowed at the man, once again the blonde putting herself between Erio and noble. The hidden yellow magatama jewel on her bracelet chimed softly in response to her rising anger

"How dare you-" The noble didn't even finish his sentence before launching himself at the woman, fist outstretched ready to teach her a lesson.

"What is going on here!"

The noble's fist stopped two inches short of the blonde's face, a gauntleted fist having grabbed the man by the wrist. Pink locks of hair swayed in the gentle breeze. Furious blue eyes bore into the man.

"T-T-Taichou-sama!"

The noble's eyes went wide, the man shivering like a leaf under Signum's gaze. Erio also shivered, the aura of power the woman exuded making him swallow unconsciously. The red head didn't know who she was, but he knew she meant business. Of the dangerous kind. Erio made a note never to piss her off.

"Botan-san" Signum said icily. Blue eyes glared at the man. "Causing trouble again?"

Wait a minute. Her gauntlet. Erio had seen one like that before. It was a different colour, gold instead of the typical silver the regular samurais wore, but very much the same design. Wait. Only samurai wore that type of armor. She's a samurai? But that Botan guy called her-

"I-I-It's not what you think Taichou-sama! I swear!"

_She's the Captain of the samurai!_ Erio gulped. Living on the streets, one heard many things, not all of them were necessarily true, but most were credible. And even if only a quarter of what was said about this pink haired captain was true, Erio had a lot of reasons not to get on her bad side.

Botan tried to pull himself free from Signum's grip, but the samurai refused to budge. "I certainly hope not." Signum almost growled at the man. "Testerossa-san, are you alright?"

"I am unharmed" Fate replied, offering the pink haired samurai a smile. "Thanks to you."

For a brief moment, Signum's cold glare softened as she looked at Fate. Then her expression was icy once again, her gaze fixed on the pitiful man in front of her. "You do realize that assaulting a woman carries heavy consequences, do you not Botan-san?" Botan wilted even further under her gaze.

Fate could only pity the man. Signum was rather intimidating when she wanted to be. Like she was right now. And only a fool would dare defy her under such circumstances. Many believed that Signum was not up for the job of being Captain of the samurai. That it was only a man's position. But time and time again, Signum proved all the disbelievers wrong showing her true strength. The swordswoman took her position seriously, a little too seriously if you asked Fate. But she was fair and protected the citizens. And that left her very much appreciated by the cityfolk, that is, all except those who would try to ruin the peace of the city.

"T-T-Taichou-sama!" Botan said trembling. "I-I-I can explain!" The noble immediately turned his fearful gaze towards Fate and Erio. "That street rat stole my coin purse and that harlot-"

Fate winced as in a flash of movement, Signum grabbed Botan by the collar and brought the man up to her face. "That _harlot_" Signum said between clenched teeth. "Happens to be the imouto of the City Guard's Bushou" Signum said growling. "You know, Harlaown Chrono-san? I don't think he'd very much appreciate you calling his imouto that. And frankly, neither do I."

Botan's eyes went wide. Beady eyes flicked back to Fate for a moment. She was the Captain's imouto? Oh gods… He was done for. Botan dropped his head in defeat. He should have never chased after the scum. A handful of silvers was not worth all of this trouble.

"Botan-san, you and I are going to take a walk back to the imperial dungeon" Signum said turning the man around and dragging him behind her. "My Chukanbushi will be more than happy to refresh your memory on the proper way to treat a woman."

Erio gaped. How in the world did he land himself in this situation? Not only had things gone from horribly bad to incredibly lucky, he was also standing in the presence of two very powerful women. Both the Captain of the Samurai and the imouto to the Captain of the City Guard. What luck he had. Or bad luck.

Fate watched as the nobleman known as Botan was dragged away by Signum, towards the imperial dungeons where he would no doubt spend a night or two thinking about what he had almost done. While she was not normally the vindictive type of person, he did call her a harlot which she took great offence to. Had the pink haired samurai not intervened, Botan would have soon found out what happened to those who pissed off the City Guard Captain's imouto.

"Testerossa-san." Signum paused, looking back over her shoulder at the blonde.

"Hai?" Fate looked at Signum inquiringly.

"When you get the chance, pass by my office. I have a parcel to give you and something to discuss."

Fate blinked. _A parcel for me and something she wants to talk about?_ "Hai."

With that said, Signum nodded, dragging Botan behind her and out of sight.

The sounds of scuffling drew Fate out of her thoughts. Erio was now hastily collecting the dropped food off the street, limping painful from one item to another. The boy had seen enough excitement for one day and wanted nothing more than to get back to his companions to make sure they were okay.

Fate grimaced at the obvious pain he was in, but she knew he didn't want to show weakness. "Here, let me help you." So instead Fate opted to aid the youth, stooping to pick up the fallen noble's coin purse.

Erio snatched it out of her hands. "Don't touch that." He looked at her menacingly.

Fate smiled at him. "Where are you headed? Maybe I can he-"

Erio narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't need your help!"

Fate tilted her head to the side, burgundy eyes regarding Erio curiously. "No, of course not" she said much to Erio's shock. "You're very strong. Not many people could have stood up to that Botan-san back there like you did. But you did, and protected me from him. Thank you."

Erio scowled, looking to the side in embarassment. "Y-your welcome…" he said quietly. A faint blush crept over his cheeks.

"Fate."

"Huh?"

"My name is Fate" the blonde said with a smile. "What's your name?"

"Er-" Erio glared at Fate. Why was she being so nice to him? "My name doesn't matter."

Fate frowned at that. "I think it does."

"Why are you being so nice to me!" Erio screamed at her, though Fate didn't seem surprised. "I don't need your pity!"

"Pity?" A sadness flickered in Fate's eyes that Erio could not ignore. "I do not pity you. You simply remind me of myself when I was your age." A pause. "Alone. Scared. Fighting to find my place in this world."

Erio swallowed, his anger forgotten for the moment. It was as if this Fate person could read his mind or something. The ache in her burgundy eyes was not unlike the ache in his own heart.

"But then I found someone who helped me find my place" Fate continued. "And it is that person I owe my life to today, for without her, I would not be here."

Erio remained quiet.

"I just wanted to be that person for you. Like she was for me."

Erio Mondial was flabbergasted. She wanted to help him? His shock soon turned to anger. That's what the samurai said when his parents died. But they lied to him. "Liar!" Erio ran off.

Fate could only watch him disappear in sadness.

* * *

_CRASH!_

"Get out!"

"Onii-san!"

"I said GET OUT!"

The door to Kyouya's room slid open hastily, a crying Nanoha bolting passed a startled Fate as she dashed down the stairs. Fate had just made it to the Midori-ya Café, Nanoha having left the front door unlocked for her to enter. It had taken the blonde a few minutes to reach the cafe after the incident with the red headed boy. Fate was already half way there when the boy ran into her. And like she always did when she visited her best friend, Fate went straight to Nanoha's room, only to find herself thrown into the middle of whatever just happened between the Takamachi siblings.

"Fate-san."

"H-hai!" Fate jumped at the sound of her name, turning towards Kyouya's room with fearful eyes.

"Go after her."

"Hai!" Fate needed no other prompting to chase after the distressed brunette. Fate rushed out of the Midori-ya, zipping past a cloaked figure, in her haste not noticing them. The cloaked figure with twin red braids trailing their shoulders looked back up at the Midori-ya Café, blue eyes narrowing.

After a few minutes of running, Fate found herself at the local graveyard. This was often Nanoha's place to be when something distressed her. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Fate walked up to Nanoha, who sat next to her parents' grave stones curled up in fetal position. "Nanoha." A hand rested on Nanoha's shoulder, Fate crouching next to her.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha tackled her best friend and wept in her arms.

Fate held Nanoha close, stroking her back. "Shhh…" she hushed soothingly. "I'm here."

Nanoha sobbed on her shoulder. Burgundy eyes closed, tears forming in her eyes. The hidden yellow magatama jewel on Fate's bracelet chimed softly, Nanoha's own hidden red magatama jewel doing the same. Fate gritted her teeth, feeling the shudders running through the brunette in her arms. Wine coloured eyes opened again, a fire and fierceness burning within them. Those who hurt Nanoha would pay.

That was a promise.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Kuso = Damnit!_

_Itai = Ouch_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Onii-san/ Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Imouto = Little Sister_

_Tamago = Sweet Egg Omelet_

_Nooburu = Noble_

_Taichou/Bushou = Captain_

_Chukanbushi = (Middle Samurai)The most common rank among the samurai, Chukanbushi-level samurai are intermediately skilled samurai. They often act as guards, sentinels, watchmen, and other miscellaneous positions._

_Itadakimasu = "I humbly receive." The phrase is similar to "bon appétit", or saying grace to give thanks before a meal. For more information on Japanese etiquette, visit the link below._

_http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Etiquette_in_Japan#Eating_and_drinking_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	13. Imperial Proposition

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 12: Imperial Proposition ~ ***

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

"Nanoha?"

The person in question groaned. "Go away…" Nanoha murmured.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

"Nanoha, it's Fate. Are you there?"

Violet eyes blinked open lethargically. Nanoha grumbled as she sat up. Joints popped into place as she reached upwards for the ceiling, a hand rubbing her eyes. "Itai…"

Nanoha's neck and back were stiff. She had fallen asleep downstairs, in the actual café part of the building sitting at one of the many empty booths, rather than in her bedroom upstairs. Signum's favourite booth in fact. After the fight with Kyouya yesterday afternoon, she wasn't in the mood to be around her Onii-san, or at least within close proximity to him until he cooled his head. What they fought about was really trivial, something so silly that Nanoha couldn't even remember what they were talking about in the first place. But she remembered the pain in her heart when he lashed out at her with his words. Kyouya would never hit her, but sometimes he didn't have to.

More knocking at the door. "Nanoha?"

"Coming… coming…" Nanoha answered groggily. The brunette groaned again rising to her feet. More joints popped, with a dull ache making its presence known in her shoulders. Rubbing the back of her neck, Nanoha wandered over to the café door, miraculously navigating through the café in the pitch black (as the shutters were closed) without incurring injury.

Nanoha grimaced the moment she unlocked the door and opened it. The light from the morning sun blinded her, daggers of light making her eyes hurt. Blinking rapidly a few times before finally squinting, Nanoha found herself looking at a familiar blonde with burgundy eyes. "Morning Fate-chan" Nanoha said stifling a yawn with her hand.

"Good morning Nanoha." Fate smiled. Nanoha was absolutely adorable in the morning! It took a great deal of willpower not to squeal over this discovery, Fate merely chuckling instead. In all the years she had known the youngest Takamachi, she had never seen her first thing in the morning after waking up. Nanoha was always an early riser and usually was up before Fate was. "Sorry for waking you so early."

Nanoha waved at her dismissively. "It's fine." The brunette yawned again, taking a step backwards allowing Fate to enter. "Did you have breakfast already?" Nanoha was already on her way towards the kitchen.

Fate continued to smile at her half asleep friend, the blonde quickly glancing to the cloaked figure on her right. "We had a little something before we came" Fate said walking into the dark café. "Though, that wouldn't stop me from eating anything you cooked."

Nanoha paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "We?"

Fate's companion appeared in the doorway behind her. Slipping off their hood, pink tresses tumbled down their back. "Good morning Takamachi-san."

Nanoha stared. "S-Signum-sama!" The brunette immediately looked down at herself and straightened out her crumpled clothes. It was one thing to been seen by Fate like this. It was an entirely different thing to be seen like this by one of your frequent customers.

Signum chuckled. "No need to feel embarrassed Takamachi-san" the samurai said. "My apologies. I meant not to trouble you so early in the morning, but Testerossa-san said it would be alright."

"Nanoha's just being silly Signum-sama" Fate said wandering over to the brunette. "Nanoha, really, you look fine." Fate held Nanoha's hands to stop the other girl from fidgeting.

"Mou Fate-chan…" Nanoha pouted half in embarrassment and half in shyness. "You could have at least warned me you were bringing company over. Then I would have changed into something else."

Fate smiled. "You look beautiful Nanoha. No matter what you wear." Fate's eyes widened the instant she finished her words. Suddenly Fate found the ground very interesting, her cheeks going red in embarrassment at what she just said.

Nanoha flushed deeply. "F-F-Fate-chan! Mou!" Nanoha looked to the side, anywhere but at Fate. Honestly! Fate always said the most embarrassing things! Not that she minded. Not the least bit.

Signum genuinely smiled at the pair. It made the pink haired samurai happy to see Nanoha smiling again. The girl had been weeping far too much lately, something that tore at the captain's heart. Signum would never openly admit how much it bothered her to see Nanoha so depressed. Something about the girl, something about her smile just brightened everyone's day. And Signum wanted nothing more than to ensure that smile stayed indefinitely. Vita felt the same way, though the smaller Wolkenritter would never admit it either.

Signum cleared her throat, Fate and Nanoha immediately pulling away from each other, both acting as if they had just been burned. "I mean not to impose on you Takamachi-san" Signum said. "So if another time is better, I can come back late-"

"But you're already here Signum-sama." Nanoha walked over to the samurai. The brunette ushered the sword wielding warrior into her regular booth, opening a couple of the shutters lighting up the café. "Let me just make some breakfast quickly and then we can talk about whatever it is you want, okay?" A smile.

Signum opened her mouth to retort, wanting to say it wasn't necessary for Nanoha to trouble herself with breakfast. But when the samurai saw the brunette's smile, Signum couldn't but sigh in defeat. "Hai."

Nanoha giggled and took off for the kitchen. "Fate-chan, you keep Signum-sama company. This won't take long." The brunette disappeared into the kitchen.

Fate looked to Signum hesitantly. Understanding her dilemma, Signum nodded with a small smile, Fate trailing behind Nanoha into the kitchen.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha scolded. "What did I just say?"

Signum couldn't but grin as she imagined what was happening in the back.

"Nanoha, let me help you" the blonde said. "You really shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard this soon. Did you forget what Shamal-sama said?"

"She said I only needed to rest for one day. I did that already!"

"Does it hurt you to rest for more than one day?"

A grumble.

"Besides, it will go a lot faster if you let me help."

"But you're a guest Fate-chan" Nanoha retorted. "What kind of host would I be if I let a guest cook?"

"_Nanoha._"

A moment of silence.

Signum raised an eyebrow at the sudden quiet, her gaze turning towards the kitchen doorway.

"F-fine…" Nanoha replied a few seconds later.

Signum chuckled again. Those two were quite the pair. The fact that both of them made someone as cold and hard as Signum smile, that said quite a lot. Turning her attention back to the table, Signum pulled out the parcel from her belt, resting the parcel on top. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

This was going to work. No, this had to work.

After all the hours they toiled away (they being Vita, Shamal, Rein and even Zafira), the Wolkenritter had finally found the loop hole there were searching for. They had found a way for Hayate to be reunited with her friends and keep them safe all at the same time. And that was the reason Signum was currently here.

Signum had already explained the proposition to Fate earlier this morning, when the blonde stopped by her office. But now, it was time to explain the proposition to Nanoha. A proposition which still had its risks, however. Both Nanoha and Fate could say no in the end, and that would be that. Signum would be damned if she didn't at least try to convince them to say yes. And if that failed, well… Signum could think of a few more ways to be convincing…

"Signum-sama?"

Nanoha's voice tore the samurai from her thoughts. "Hai?"

Nanoha's head popped into view by the opening in the back wall seeing into the kitchen. "Do you like strawberries?"

Signum blinked. "Uh… Hai?" she responded reluctantly.

"Great!" Nanoha giggled before disappearing deeper into the kitchen again.

_Strawberries?_ Signum raised an eyebrow questioningly but said nothing further. She wasn't sure what Nanoha was planning which involved strawberries, but she trusted the girl's judgement. Never once did it occur to her that Nanoha could be possibly poisoning her food. Not that the brunette was doing such a thing, just that, somehow the girl had lowered Signum's defenses to the point that the captain of the samurai trusted her without question.

Soon the sound of something frying came to Signum's ears, a sweet scent filling the café shortly afterwards.

"Here you go."

Signum inwardly flinched, having been startled when a plate was set down in front of her on the table along with a steaming hot mug of tea. How Nanoha had snuck up on her so quietly was a mystery to the pink haired samurai, but nevertheless, she showed no such surprise when she turned to look at her host.

"Tell me what you think." Nanoha smiled.

Signum nodded before turning back to her plate. There she found strawberry crepes, cut in small triangles for easy picking with chopsticks. Signum grabbed a piece with her chopsticks and held it up to her face to examine it.

"I hear they're very popular in the west for breakfast" Nanoha said, watching in amusement as Signum popped the piece in her mouth and chewed. "Though I think they're more like dessert if you ask me."

Fate joined the paired from the kitchen moments later, a tray with two plates of crepes in hand, setting them both down at the table on the opposite side of Signum. Burgundy eyes watched curiously as Signum finished her first piece of the strawberry crepes, the pink haired captain staring at the rest of it silently. Nanoha turned to Fate who only shrugged in response.

"When the Midori-ya is open next" Signum said. "I look forward to having these again." With that said, Signum began eating the rest of her strawberry crepes, a smile on her face.

Nanoha's face lit up with immeasurable happiness, the brunette tackling Fate next to her in an excited hug. Fate chuckled, hugging Nanoha back, pulling her friend into the booth next to her so they could finally eat their crepes as well. When the crepes were finished and their bellies full, it was then that Signum slid the parcel towards Nanoha.

"What's this?" Nanoha blinked, picking up the parcel. It was an envelope made with the finest quality parchment. Turning it over in her hands, violet eyes widened when she caught sight of the red imperial wax seal on the back which sealed the envelope tightly. "This is…"

"A request from the Empress" Signum replied.

Nanoha gawked at her. "E-Empress? As in _the Empress_?"

"I only know of one Empress" Signum stated in all seriousness. Inwardly however, Signum was smirking.

Fate grinned herself, her own reaction being the same as Nanoha's when Signum first handed her the proposal from the Empress.

"Wha… I mean… Wh… H-how do you know the Empress?" Nanoha was finding it rather difficult to form words at this moment.

While Signum's lips did not smile, her eyes certainly did. The samurai pulled back the edge of her cloak and revealed her trusted Levantine. Nanoha's eyes bulged at the sight of it.

"Y-you're a samurai!" Nanoha was stunned to say the least.

Signum nodded, the faint curving of lips betraying her amusement at Nanoha's reaction.

"Not just any samurai" Fate added. "You've just had breakfast with the Taichou of the Samurai and the Empress' own personal Keigo."

"E-EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nanoha was now openly gaping at Signum, much to the captain's hilarity.

"Did Testerossa-san not tell you this already? I was under the impression you already knew this fact."

Nanoha turned to Fate.

"Ah well…" Fate scratched the back of her head wearily. "It kind of slipped my mind…"

Both of Signum's eyebrows rose in response to Fate's confession, but the pink haired samurai said nothing.

"H-how did you find this out Fate-chan?" Nanoha was still in shock.

"Signum-sama and Onii-chan talk all the time" Fate replied, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hai" Signum confirmed. "It is not unusual for me to speak with Harlaown-san about matters of city security. He is most helpful."

Nanoha stared at Signum before turning back to stare at the envelope in front of her. Fate leaned closer to the brunette, shoulders touching. "Open it" the blonde murmured in encouragement.

Nanoha nodded numbly and did as she was told, carefully opening the imperial letter. Fate glanced at Signum, the pink haired samurai doing the same, a grin forming on both of their lips as Nanoha read the letter quietly.

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" For the second time of the day, Nanoha found herself making unintelligible noises. "This is… this is…"

"Hai" Signum said. "The Empress is requesting your presence at the palace to cook for her. Both of you."

Nanoha turned to look at Fate again. Fate nodded.

"Your skill in the kitchen isn't unheard of in the imperial palace Takamachi-san." Signum crossed her arms over her chest, but not in a menacing way. "Believe it or not, many nobles and those of the imperial court visit here often to taste your delicacies."

Nanoha felt light headed. This was a lot to take in out of the blue!

"The Empress wishes to try your dishes" Signum continued. "And if they are to her liking, both of you will be offered the position as the Empress' personal Shefu."

"S-S-S-S-Shefu to the Empress!" Nanoha was dreaming. She had to be dreaming. This was all a dream, right? This couldn't be real.

"Fate-chan, pinch me."

"Huh? Why?" Fate looked at Nanoha in confusion.

"I want to make sure I'm not dreaming."

Signum laughed heartily, something that shocked both Nanoha and Fate. "I can assure you Takamachi-san, you are not dreaming. This is very real."

Nanoha gaped at Signum some more, before she turned back to Fate. "What… What did you say?"

Fate smiled. "I said I'd only go if you were coming."

Signum gave the brunette a curt nod in confirmation. Nanoha's gaze went back to the letter in her hands.

"What should I tell the Empress, Takamachi-san?" Signum chewed on the inside of her cheek. This was it. The moment of truth.

Nanoha remained quiet for a good minute, staring at the parchment. Signum swallowed nervously, but showed nothing aside from her typical stoic expression. When Nanoha opened her mouth, Signum held her breath, swearing her heart stopped for that split second as well.

"Hai!" Nanoha exclaimed. It was Fate's turn to tackle Nanoha in a hug, the two of them giggling in excitement.

Signum breathed in relief and smiled. "The Empress will be most pleased." The pink haired samurai stood up. "I'll come by to pick you up in three days from now."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Itai = Ouch_

_Taichou = Captain_

_Keigo = Body Guard_

_Shefu = Chef_

_Onii-san/ Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	14. The Battle for Fate

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 13: The Battle for Fate ~ ***

"Signum-san! Good morning!"

"Good morning Harlaown-sama." A bow.

"Come in, come in," Lindy said with a smile. She ushered the samurai standing at her door inside, closing the door behind them gently. "Fate-chan is just changing. She'll be down in a moment."

It had been three days since the captain of the samurai delivered the imperial propositions to both Fate and Nanoha. Much to the swordswoman's relief, they both accepted the proposition and agreed to cook for the Empress. However, waiting for those three days to come and go had been a grueling trial for the pink haired samurai. Despite being known for her incredible patience, Signum wanted nothing more than for the days to flit by so they could finally get to the matter at hand.

"Fate-chan! Signum-san is here!" The teal haired woman stood at the bottom of the stairs, shouting upwards, having already seated her guest in the waiting room.

"I-I'm coming!" came the frantic reply, followed by a few thumps from upstairs.

Lindy chuckled as she made her way back to Signum. "You'll have to forgive Fate-chan for her tardiness" she said. "The poor girl could barely sleep last night. And when she finally did get to sleep, I didn't have the heart to wake her up until a few minutes ago."

Signum accepted the mug of tea Lindy set out of her with thanks before taking a sip. Leave it to the eldest Harlaown to always have a kettle of hot water at the ready. The woman absolutely loved her exotic teas, something she had no doubt developed a taste for over the years as co-captain of the City Guard, when Clyde was still alive. And this particular brew did not disappoint. The fruity taste of apples, mint with a hint of cinnamon. An interesting blend.

"She couldn't sleep?" Signum looked at Lindy curiously.

Lindy smiled, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Would you be able to sleep if you were meeting the Empress for the first time?"

Signum looked at the reflection in her tea thoughtfully. "Probably not." Signum smiled inwardly.

The first time Signum had met Hayate, the brunette had just turned ten. Hayate was being escorted by a pair of guards through the back alleys to the imperial palace at the time. Gil Graham, after a year of struggling to get the empire back under control with no success, finally conceded defeat and had summoned the young Hayate to take her rightful place at the head of the nation. Such matters however, required a great deal of secrecy, especially considering the current state of the country. And that is why Hayate and the rest of the group were dressed like peasants taking a Sunday night stroll.

Shamal also accompanied Hayate, as did Vita, though the red head was just a babe at the time. Living in the high court, it was not unusual for nobles to already have attendants. And as Shamal had known Hayate from the time she was born, the blonde attendant refused to separate from the girl, no matter what anyone said. In fact, when one of the magistrates tried to separate them, Shamal broke the guy's nose with an open palm heel strike.

Signum chuckled at the memory. Shamal may not look it, but she was quite the fighter and a feisty one at that. But even that wasn't enough back then. Traveling under the blanket of night, the group was attacked by a band of thieves looking for some quick silvers. The two guards did their best to protect their charges, but under the sheer number of men that attacked them, it wasn't long before they fell. Shamal did her best to protect both Vita and Hayate, but holding a babe in one hand with another clutching to the back of your cloak made things rather difficult. And that was the scene Signum had stumbled upon.

Signum was a rounin when they had first met. It had been less than six months since the death of her master. Six months before that, fate bestowed upon her Levantine, the mystical blade only told of in legend. Neither Signum nor her master understood why she of all people was chosen by it, only that things would become more challenging from then onwards. Despite their efforts to conceal it, others found out about the mythical blade and soon she became a target for the greedy and merciless.

Signum's master was slain in the thirteenth attack. A band of assassins had been hired to take the blade by force for a greedy lord. Signum's master defended his young prodigy to the bitter end. She vowed vengeance that night. The night she watched the light fade from her master's eyes, her hands drenched in his blood. And vengeance Signum took.

Six months later, all of her pursuers had been dealt with, may it be by dismemberment or through the embrace of death. At that point, life no longer had and meaning, but she could not bring herself to commit oibara seppuku. So she wandered aimlessly instead. Stumbling upon the surprise attack, Signum didn't know what overcame her. One moment she was staring wide-eyed as a group of ten or so thieves surrounded a blonde woman with a babe in hand and another clutching to her cloak. And then in the next moment, the men had been slain, by her hand, Levantine stained red as proof of that act.

Thumping from upstairs drew Signum from her thoughts. Both Signum and her host looked up to the ceiling, Lindy smiling. "I believe she's almost ready" the woman said rising to her feet.

Signum did the same and followed the teal haired woman out of the waiting room. Standing by the front door, Signum turned back to look up stairs, catching sight of a black and yellow blur rush towards them.

"I'm so sorry Sig-"

Fate slipped.

"Fate-chan!"

In her rush to meet up with the samurai captain, Fate missed a step, causing her to stumble forward. Arms flailed as she lurched down the stairs head first. The blonde yelped, wide-eyed as the stairs raced towards her face. Burgundy eyes snapped shut.

Silence.

"Are you alright Testerossa-san?"

Fate cracked an eye open, rather confused she had not felt pain of her face plastering against the edge of the stairs. She was so sure she had been tumbling head first awaiting a rather painful demise, but when her burgundy eyes opened, all she saw was pink. And the glint of gold. Wine colour eyes looked up.

"S-S-Signum-sama!" the blonde exclaimed, her cheeks flushing red. Signum held her gently.

"I am relieved you are unharmed."

How the samurai closed the distance between them so fast and so soundlessly, Fate did not know. Neither did Lindy. It was a good fifteen steps from the front door to halfway up the stairs. But even so, the eldest Harlaown was very thankful that Signum caught Fate when she did. The thought of explaining to Chrono just how Fate ended up with a broken neck was not all that appealing to the eldest Harlaown.

Signum took a step back, releasing Fate before straightening out the blonde's black kimono with cherry blossoms printed on it. This action caused Fate to flush even more, the younger girl utterly embarrassed at her clumsiness. Thankfully, Fate was no worse for wear, and the outfit she had spent ten minutes rifling through her closet for before settling on this one, was unwrinkled.

"While your haste is appreciated, I believe the Empress values your safety over promptness." Signum grinned at the embarrassed Fate.

"H-hai" Fate said looking to the side shyly.

"Well, I think I've had enough excitement for today." Lindy clapped her hands together and giggled. "You two best be going. You still have Nanoha-chan to pick up and you don't want to be late for the Empress."

Fate merely nodded, still red as a beet, as she trailed behind Signum down the stairs at a much slower pace.

"I promise to return her at a reasonable time Harloawn-sama." Signum bowed to the woman before making her way out the door.

"There's no rush Signum-san. Keep her for as long as you need." For that, Lindy received a curt nod from the samurai.

"Good luck with your cooking today Fate-chan" Lindy said hugging her adopted daughter. "I'm sure things will come out great! Show the Empress what you're made of!"

Fate beamed. "Hai!"

* * *

"Testerossa-san."

"H-hai!"

"Is something wrong?"

Signum looked over to her companion in concern. They had only left the Harlaown residence a few minutes ago (three minutes in fact, but who was really counting?). The whole time, Fate checked and double checked and triple checked her outfit. It wasn't until Fate checked things over again for the fourth time did Signum feel the need to speak.

"Wrong? I-Ile…" Fate shook her head, looking down at her kimono once again.

Signum sighed softly as she watched Fate fidget yet again from her peripheral vision. As much as the samurai hated to admit it, this was a nice change from the normally calm and collected blonde Signum knew Fate to be. It was even cute (but you never heard that from Signum). But even so, it was now starting to border on irritation for the pink haired captain, Fate expelling a great deal of nervous energy. Signum had to remedy that somehow.

"Contrary to popular belief" Signum began. "The Empress is a rather kind and tolerant person. There is no need to be nervous."

"But Signum-sama, we're talking about _the Empress_" Fate said all but whimpering. "What if she doesn't like how I look?" Fate swallowed, paling briefly at the thought. "Do you think she likes black?"

Signum gave Fate a sympathetic look. While she understood Fate's worries, such fears were unwarranted. "Testerossa-"

"What if she finds a wrinkle in my outfit somewhere?" Fate looked down at her favourite kimono again, searching frantically for invisible wrinkles.

"Testeros-"

"What if she doesn't like what I cook for her?" All the blood drained out of Fate's face, the blonde shivering at the thought.

"Testo-"

"Kami-sama! She could have me executed for that!" Burgundy eyes went wide. "What-"

"Fate-san!"

Fate was whirled around by the shoulders to face Signum. "Calm down."

The younger girl stared at Signum wide-eyed and ramrod straight for a moment, before relaxing. "S-sorry…" Fate took a deep breath, her rapidly beating heart still thudding away in her chest. "J-just a little anxious about things…"

Signum sighed before releasing Fate's shoulders. "I assure you Testerossa-san, things will be just fine. The Empress will not be executing anyone today, especially not you." _Though she may give me a good scolding when she finds out it was Fate and Nanoha who was hired to cook for her…_

Hayate had absolutely no idea that her two best friends would be cooking for her today. When the Empress received the request to use some local talent to prepare the meal, no names were listed on the parchment. Shamal had put forth that proposition, saying that she was looking to add some variety to the meals in the palace. She apparently had heard about a few local chefs who may be worth trying out. Hayate approved the request without a second thought, trusting Shamal with the finer details as she was distracted with more important matters.

"If it makes you feel any better" Signum continued. "I will be there with you and if anything were to happen, which I believe it won't, I will come to your aid."

Wine coloured eyes widened at Signum's words. Fate blushed softly before lowering her head. "T-thank you Signum-sama. That means a lot coming from you."

The pink haired captain smiled before facing the road once again. "Come along now, Takamachi-san must be just as nervous as you are. It would not be good to keep her waiting any longer."

"Hai!"

With renewed spirits, Fate turned to face forward again, ready to march over to the Midori-ya Café with Signum to meet up with Nanoha. In the action however, she didn't see the person passing next to her and accidentally knocked them down with an elbow.

A moan.

"Obaa-san! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Fate was already kneeling down next to the short, white haired elderly woman. The older woman's basket of fruits lay on its side next to her with its contents spilled all over the road.

"Oh my…" the elderly woman said looking around in confusion. "How did I end up on the road here?" The silver haired woman looked up at Fate.

"I'm so sorry" Fate said horrified. "I wasn't watching where I was go-Ack! Signum-sama!"

Signum yanked the blonde roughly behind her, Fate stumbling in the action but did not fall. Levantine was out, the tip of the blade pointed at the old woman's neck. Signum stood in a lowered stance with her weapon held tightly in two hands. "Who are you?"

Fate looked at Signum's back in confusion and shock. "Signum-sama! What are you-"

"I will not ask you again!" Blue eyes narrowed at the small elderly woman on her romp.

"Signum-sama-"

A laugh.

Fate froze, maroon eyes turning to look back at the elderly woman in front of them. The woman's laugh chilled the blonde to the bone. That was no ordinary laugh.

"You're better than they say" the elder woman said smirking.

Fate took a startled step backwards as the elderly woman jerked backwards performing an aerial back flip. The woman's komon shimmered out of sight along with the basket of toppled fruit. When her feet hit the ground, the person standing in front of them was no longer an elderly woman with white hair. No, this person was now an assassin, garbed head to toe in royal blue, their green eyes piercing into Fate with their gaze. On their back was their clan insignia. A circle of white with a navy blue border with the symbol 'II' embroided in blue in the middle. Fate's eyes lingered on the wicked metal claw on the assassin's right hand.

Signum gritted her teeth. It seemed the clans were openly attacking during daylight now. Before, they only ever acted under the darkness of night. Blue eyes quickly scanned the area before widening. Where were the patrols in this part of the district? Hayate had approved her request for increased numbers of samurai in the middle district, so why hadn't she seen any of them yet?

"If you're looking for your friends, they won't be coming."

A woman. The person in front of them was a woman. Signum's gaze snapped towards the blue clothed assassin, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"They're… indisposed."

Fate swallowed nervously, her hands clenched into fists. Signum inched in front of her, keeping herself between Fate and their attacker. The pink haired captain couldn't see it, but she knew the assassin was grinning mockingly at her.

"Word has it that some local Shefus will be entertaining the Empress today." The blue assassin chuckled. "You wouldn't by chance know anything about that, would you?"

Signum gripped Levantine tighter.

The assassin threw back her head and laughed louder. "No? A shame. I was hoping to take their place and give my regards to the Empress myself."

Fate's eyes went wide.

Signum darted towards the assassin, her blade held out at the side. The wind howled in her ears as she sliced upwards at the assassin's face once within arms reach of her target. The captain of the samurai wanted nothing more than to slice off the assassin's tongue in retribution of their arrogance. But metal screeched against metal, the assassin's claw-like weapon intercepting the blade before it got dangerously close. Signum jumped back two steps before lunging again, slashing horizontally at the assassin's throat. She refused to stand idle as this fiend threatened her Empress!

A split second before sword met flesh, the assassin vanished, dodging to the side as Signum's blade cut air. Even without looking, she knew her opponent merely darted behind her for a quick hit against her unprotected back. In one fluid motion, Signum spun around on her heel, slicing upwards, a whoosh of air blasting past her ears as her eyes caught sight of-

"T-Testerossa-san!" Signum barely stopped her blade in time, the tip hovering a mere inch from the blonde's neck. Signum was so sure it was the assassin behind her and not Fate! Was she losing it?

"Signum-sama!" a voice called out in warning. "That's not me!"

Signum looked behind Fate to see… well… Fate. Blue eyes widened as Signum realized there were two Fates looking at her. Signum's moment of confusion was a costly one, the Fate standing directly in front of the samurai smirking before her right hand shot forward like a spear towards Signum's stomach. Steel ripped through armor and flesh as it arced outwards.

"SIGNUM!"

Signum stumbled backwards breathing heavily, clutching her left side. Crimson leaked through her fingers, a burning pain spreading across her ribs. Thankfully, her armor had absorbed most of the blow, the wound on her side merely a flesh wound. A non mortal wound, but a very bloody one. Signum cursed herself inwardly. She had underestimated this assassin. All of the other clan assassins she fought before now did not have this level of skill, relying mostly on the Spirit Seeds they collected for both offense and defense. Yet this blue robed assassin had no Spirit Seed of her own and remained on par with her. A very dangerous foe.

Signum's eyes widened in horror as the assassin in blue turned to face Fate. Their attacker was now between Fate and herself. Fate also realized this, a look of utter terror on her face when green eyes met burgundy. The assassin grinned wildly before dashing towards Fate with her claw-like weapon outstretched.

"**Schlangeform!"**

Green eyes widened as a metal chain whip intermixed with jagged sword segments darted past her on the right. Quickly it pulled a ninety degree turn, lashing out at her like a striking cobra. The blue robed assassin brought up her claw just in time to deflect the striking point harmlessly to the side, only to realize that was just a feint for the real attack.

The whip immediately circled the assassin, like an anaconda circling around its prey, before the metal cord went taut binding her arms at her sides. The green eyed assassin grunted as she hit the ground like a log, the sharp edges of the chain whip digging into her garb. Unlike normal metal, her clawed appendage could not cut through the chain whip leaving her defenseless and immobile.

Signum huffed, pulling back on her Levantine in its alternate form to keep the assassin bound tightly. Sweat rolled down the side of her face, stray locks of pink hair sticking to her forehead. She had made it just in time. Signum shuddered to think what would have happened if she didn't. But the fight was far from over.

"Signum! Watch out!"

Movement to her left caught her attention, the pink haired samurai turning her head to the side in time to see five glowing daggers zipping towards her.

"**Panzerschild!"**

Signum dove forward as her purple magical tri-shield intercepted the exploding daggers. Rolling to her feet, Signum stood in front of Fate protectively, her Levantine returning to its sword form and held defensively in front of her. Blue eyes raised skywards, catching sight of a second blue garbed assassin who was crouched at the edge of the building just opposite them. They wore a grey sleeveless vest overtop their blue garb. And on their back, like the first one, they too had an insignia marked in white. It read 'V'.

"Due" the second assassin said.

Due rose to her feet and dusted herself off. "Cinque" she said with a huff.

"Our Lord requested the girl be taken alive, not dead."

"I know that" Due grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "He never said I couldn't play with her a little first."

Things had just gone from bad to worse for Signum and Fate. Dealing with one of these blue garbed assassins was bad enough. Signum was just on par with just the first one. Now that a second one had showed up, their chances were quickly going downhill.

"Due" Cinque repeated. It was then Signum noted the one called Cinque had one eye covered. "Our Lord does not tolerate mistakes. Let's take the girl and be done with it."

"Tch." Due turned to look at Fate, green eyes narrowing at her.

Fate gritted her teeth, wine coloured eyes narrowing at Due. Fate quickly glanced to Signum before her gaze went back to the assassin. She had to do it. Fate made a fist. The yellow magatama jewel hanging off of her bracelet chimed softly. Burgundy eyes squeezed shut in frustration. Fate faltered. The reason? Signum. But still…

"DIVINE BUSTER!"

A beam of pure pink energy rocketed towards Due from the right, Due just barely dodging the beam as she flipped backwards and out of harms way. Dirt and stones kicked up into the air as the pink beam tore through the road where Due once stood. The ground shook and rumbled as the blast waned, Signum shielding Fate with her body as grit went flying. The blue garbed assassins along with Fate and Signum soon found themselves gawking at the damaged road in front of them once the dust settled. All eyes turned to the side in search of the source of the attack. They landed on a figure in the distance.

Fate swallowed thickly. Another one had arrived. Another assassin. This one garbed in white.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _I'm pretty sure the Numbers are out of character. I shall put the disclaimer out now that the Numbers will pretty much be out of character for this piece. The anime didn't really go into their backgrounds and such too much, so I'm really just winging it when it comes to them. Bear with me. XD_

_For the purposes of my story, I have made Vita 9 years younger than Hayate. In the anime, they were only 1 year apart despite Vita being significantly shorter than Hayate._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Obaa = Grandma (typical used when referring to elderly people)_

_Komon = A casual type of kimono_

_Rounin = Masterless Samurai_

_Oibara Seppuku = (also known as hara kiri) Ritual Suicide_

_Shefu = Chef_

_Schlangeform = Snake Form_

_Panzerschild = Armor Shield/Tank Shield_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	15. The White Devil

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 14: The White Devil ~ ***

"DIVINE BUSTER!"

The ground rumbled and shook as if a stampede of horses ran through the streets. A streak of pink tore through the road, sending bits of dirt, rock and grit into the air. Due swore under her breath, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she narrowly evaded the beam of pure pink magic. Even missing the blast by mere inches, the residual magic left in its wake pricked at her skin like a thousand needles stabbing into her flesh.

Fate and Signum were left breathless, jaws slack and eyes wide as they stared at the area where the clawed blue assassin once stood. Even the assassin's companion couldn't but gawk at the devastation left in the wake of the attack. All eyes turned to the one who had just jumped into the fight.

Violet coloured eyes scrutinized them all, lingering longer on the two in blue. Fate swallowed, her throat suddenly as dry as sand paper. She shuddered slightly, still in a bit of shock at the most recent turn of events. Signum, on the other hand, was searching for an escape route. She had half a mind to toss the blonde over her shoulder and run, despite such actions being foreign to the samurai. Signum had never run from a battle in her entire life. But this battle could hardly be considered normal. This one, this white assassin, was no ordinary assassin.

Levantine had chimed just a moment before the pink attack razed the ground in front of them. Unlike regular magically infused weaponry, legendary weapons like Signum's Levantine were on a whole new level when it came to magical potency. The fact that Levantine chimed in time with the appearance of this stranger meant only one thing. The assassin in white was a legendary weapon wielder. And if Levantine hadn't revealed that truth to Signum, the sheer amount of magical essence that poured off of this assassin would have.

"Another nuisance shows up." Due narrowed her eyes at the white garbed intruder. She brandished her claw. If there was one thing Due hated more than anything, it was when someone interrupted her hunt. And this white assassin had done just that. The extreme magical power exuded from this person didn't faze her in the least. "I'm going to love tearing you apart."

Cinque leapt down from the rooftop and put a hand on her companion's shoulder before Due took off. "Due wait. This one is not like the rest." Cinque narrowed her one good eye, trying to make out the weapon this new assassin carried. But she was unable to get a clear view of it at this distance as it seemed to blend in with the assassin's white garb.

"We should retreat for now."

"What?" Due looked at her partner incredulously. When Due hunted, she hunted until her prey was captured or dead. There was no such thing as retreat for her. She would do whatever it took, no matter how long it took, until the job was done.

Cinque returned her gaze to the samurai captain. Feeling eyes on her, Signum turned back to the blue garbed assassins. The samurai raised Levantine in front of her defensively. For the time being, Signum would focus on the blue assassins. She still kept an eye on the assassin in white, but as they had yet to make another move, Signum left them alone for now. Maybe they'd get lucky and the white assassin was on their side. Not that she believed in or relied on such things as luck.

"He could be working with them" Cinque said, pulling five throwing knives from her belt. She glanced at the one in white again. "This could be a trap to lure us out."

"A trap with only two people? Don't be ridiculous." Due gritted her teeth. She was getting impatient. Her clawed hand twitched. "Get the girl. I'll deal with this… pest."

"Due wait!" Cinque's yell went unheard.

Due leapt into the air, easily overcoming the height of the closest two storey building, landing on its roof. Due dashed towards the assassin in white, leaping rooftop to rooftop, her speed increasing the longer she ran.

Cinque sighed. "This can end peacefully" Cinque said, despite the look Signum was giving her. "We just want the girl and we'll be on our way."

Signum narrowed her eyes. Another woman she noted. Was this particular clan only made up of women? She couldn't be sure. Normally, the clans would only be made of men. This was the first time she came across a woman assassin before.

"By order of the Empress, relinquish your weapons and surrender."

Cinque scratched the back of her head. "I would gladly relinquish my weapons to you. But as for surrendering, you know I can't do that." The five daggers in her hand began to glow yellow.

"And you know I will not hand over Testerossa-san either" Signum replied. "It is my duty to protect the citizens under the Empress and she is one of them."

"Signum-sama…" Fate frowned. Not that she wasn't appreciative of Signum's protectiveness over her, she was rather touched by it. But Fate was worried. Could Signum, in her current state, fend off their attackers long enough for reinforcements to arrive? And what of that white robed assassin?

"So be it" Cinque said with resignation. With the flick of her hand, the magically charged daggers went flying.

"**Flier Fin."**

The assassin in white took to the air, somersaulting backwards out of harms way just as Due swiped at him with her clawed hand.

"Hold still!" Due growled.

They had been exchanging blows for the past few minutes - or rather, Due had been attacking the white assassin with everything she had for the past few minutes - while the annoying bugger just dodged each of her attacks. She had yet to land a clean hit. While Due was known for her incredible patience, as required for some of her longer term infiltration missions, the fact that this assassin, this mockery, was deftly evading even the best of her attacks, infuriated her to no end.

"I said hold still!" Due zigzagged across the roof towards the assassin again, her claw outstretched demanding blood.

The white assassin feinted right, Due lunging at him, her claw within reach of his neck. But then he dodged left, evading her claw yet again, Due rushing past him harmlessly, unable to change her current momentum. She glared at him scornfully, green eyes narrowing at violet. He was mocking her. Due was sure of it. He was making a mockery of her! Evading every swipe of her claw by mere inches. Dancing around her like a wisp of wind unscathed and untouchable. Ever so silent, watching her, always one step ahead of her, always out of her reach.

"Stop running and fight back!" Due slashed at the white assassin again.

"**Restrict Lock."**

Due yelped, suddenly finding her clawed arm immobile and unmoving, mere inches away from the white assassin's face. "What in the-" Due gaped when she saw a ring of pink light surrounding the wrist of her clawed hand. Push or pull as she may, her hand would not budge no matter how hard she struggled.

Emerald eyes glared at the white garbed assassin, knowing full well she was at the mercy of the man. Using what flexibility she had, she tried to punch and kick at him with her free limbs, but the man was just out of her reach. Much to her shock, the assassin did nothing as she still tried to attack him. He merely turned his attention back to Cinque and the rest.

"Flying… Dragon Flash!" Signum's Levantine lashed out at Cinque in snake form, chain links infused with burning purple flames.

Cinque gritted her teeth, flipping over backwards to narrowly miss the burning whip. The sheer heat of the attack, even as she evaded it, made her sweat. If it wasn't for her magically enhanced vest, she would have been set aflame long ago, even at this distance.

Cinque was always better suited for the behind the scenes work on a mission. She was a strategist and an explosive arms expert. It wasn't to say however, that she was completely defenceless when it came to hand to hand combat. But even so, she had yet to face an opponent this skilled in all out combat.

Cinque didn't have the speed like some of her other sisters did. She didn't have the best stamina either. So when it came time to challenge the samurai captain to a duel, by all logic, Cinque should have just run away and fought another time. But Due was stubborn and refused to leave. So too was Cinque, refusing to leave her sister in an unfavourable situation. So when the snaking whip curved around for a second run at her, Cinque launched another wave of exploding daggers outwards, this time her target not being the samurai captain herself but the charge she protected instead.

Signum's eyes widened. Despite Signum's best efforts to keep herself between Fate and their attacker, Cinque had gotten an angle on the blonde. At this point however, Signum was overextended, her Levantine slicing at the assassin with no hope of returning to its sword form in time to defend against the flying daggers barrelling towards Fate. So she improvised.

"**Panzergeist!"**

Signum dove between Fate and the exploding daggers, a mist of purple magic covering her form, as a double explosion erupted at the same time.

"SIGNUM!"

Violet eyes widened, a shocked gasp escaping from the white assassin's lips. But his concern was for naught as both Signum and Fate survived the blast, still in one piece. Signum breathed heavily, down on one knee, holding her side. Fate knelt next to her, a hand on the samurai's shoulder.

"Cinque!" Due exclaimed, when she saw the state of her companion.

Cinque was crouched in a crater, a few feet away from Fate and Signum, favouring her left arm gingerly. Her magically enhanced vest had dulled the force of Signum's attack, but even so, it still felt like she'd been run over by a dragon. A fat one at that.

"Surrender now and I promise you will be unharmed" Signum said between clenched teeth. She was exhausted. The sheer amount of magic the samurai had just used in that short period of time was extremely draining. Not only that, the wound in her side had gotten worse through her exertions, making things more difficult for her. Shamal was going to have a fit when she found out about this one.

Cinque grimaced but remained silent. She struggled to stand but faltered halfway up and crumpled to hands and her knees. That last hit hurt a lot. She needed just a bit more time to recover. But the pounding of feet in the distance reached her ears indicating her time had run out. Reinforcements were finally here.

Due roared in anger, the Restrict Lock binding her clawed hand shattering much to the white assassin's shock. They will not have her sister!

"**Round Shield!"**

The white assassin threw out his hand at Due, a red circle of magic manifesting at his finger tips. Due's clawed hand clashed violently against the shield, small arcs of red lightning dancing across the metal of the claws. But Due pressed on, harder and harder, her rage fuelling her strength and power. "You will not… take her!"

Violet eyes widened as the circle shield started to crack little by little, under the brute force of the blue assassin's attack. A startled yelp caused both Fate and Signum to look up, just in time to see the white assassin crash into the side of the closest building with a stomach turning crunch. Soon after, an enraged Due leapt off the roof and dove head first, towards the pair, her claw outstretched at Signum.

Signum moved to rise, but collapsed to her knees again, gritting her teeth. A pained groan escaped her lips. Wine coloured eyes narrowed at the attacking assassin, the hand on Signum's shoulder tightening.

"T-Testerossa-san!" Signum gawked at the blonde when Fate jumped in front of her, arms open wide. Her yellow magatama jewel bracelet was clearly seen now, the golden gem glinting in the sunlight.

"Bar-"

"**Flash Move!"**

A blur of white invaded Fate's vision, the white assassin suddenly appearing in front of her.

"**Divine Shooter Full Power."**

Orbs of pink energy condensed in the air around Fate, Signum and the white assassin. Fate and Signum stared wide-eyed at the scene. Due ignored them, her clawed hand twitching in anticipation of piercing the white assassin's flesh. But Due would never get the chance.

A whisper. "Shoot."

The twelve orbs of magical power shot off like rockets at Due, nearing super sonic speeds. The assassin twisted and rolled her body in mid air, missing most of the blasts that shot at her, a few grazing her garb inflicting minor damage. She smirked after clearing the attack, but was startled when the assassin in white merely turned their face away.

"Due! Behind you!"

The twelve pink orbs of magic all pulled an aerial U-turn behind Due, before rifling towards her again, this time arching around to the left and the right rather than head on. The startled assassin could do little else other than cross her arms in front of her face in the hopes of defending herself. All twelve orbs impacted her from both sides at the same time. The mid air explosion was immense, the white assassin calling up a protection barrier to defend himself as well as Fate and Signum from the aftershock.

When the explosion ended and the dust cleared, the two blue assassins had vanished. Violet eyes caught a glimpse of the two retreating forms atop a roof, three buildings down from them. One sole eye regarded him, the assassin's unconscious companion draped over their shoulder, before Cinque leapt off the rooftop and out of sight. Violet eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" Signum rose to her feet shakily, clutching her side. Levantine was held limply in her hand, yet pointed at the assassin in white.

The Captain of the Samurai narrowed her eyes. Now that she had a closer look at him, Signum confirmed that he was indeed a legendary weapon wielder. A large red magatama jewel, the size of one's fist, rotated freely near the top of their white staff with pink and gold highlights. (A male assassin with a partially pink staff?) His forearms were bound with a dark blue, as was his shins. Signum got a good look at the insignia on his back as well, when he defended them from the final explosion just moments ago. Stars. Three dark blue stars were on his back.

"Signum-sama!" Fate held onto the samurai's arm. "He saved us."

"Look at his weapon Testerossa-san" Signum said shrugging off Fate's grip. "He wields a legendary weapon like mine. You saw his destructive power first hand. He's dangerous."

Signum glared at the white assassin. Something about him bothered her. Aside from the typical questions that ran through her head (Like why did he help them? Was he a friend or a foe? What were his true intentions?), Signum realized it was something else that nagged at her. It was his eyes. They were not filled with the lust of power or blood like she had seen others succumb to. Nor was there any malice or hate in them. Just… concern. And sadness. Where had she seen that before?

"You're hurt!" Fate exclaimed, looking back to their mysterious saviour. Blood stained white and blue on the assassin's right forearm. Fate reached for their injured hand.

The white assassin pulled away, taking a few steps back.

"Wait!" Fate called out, reaching out a hand in vain as the white assassin flipped backwards effortlessly and landed on a roof of the nearest building. Pink puffs of magical energy disappeared from their ankles. The white assassin turned his back on them and moved to leave.

"At least tell me your name!" Fate called out again. She didn't know why, but she desperately wanted to know who this person was.

The white garbed assassin looked back over his shoulder. Fate could not see his lips, but she could tell he was smiling. It was his mysteriously captivating violet eyes that gave his smile away. There was something so familiar about him.

"Do I… know you?" Fate whispered.

The white assassin's gaze lingered on her for a second longer before they leaped off roof and disappeared over the other side of the building.

"Taichou-sama!"

Signum turned back to see a group of ten samurai running up to them. Her lieutenant was among them. Signum frowned. What had taken them so long to get here?

"Taichou-sama! Are you alright?"

Fate breathed in relief at the sight of reinforcements. She hadn't realized how wound up she was over the ambush until she was finally able to breathe freely. The blonde felt tired and drained. Looking down at her wrist, wine coloured eyes narrowed slightly at the yellow magatama jewel on her bracelet. She had almost resorted to that. Almost. If it wasn't for that white assassin…

Fate looked away. She didn't want to think about that. What would Signum have thought of her once she learned the truth? What would Nanoha think-

Fate's eyes went wide. "Nanoha!" she exclaimed startling the samurai with her. "We have to get to Nanoha! If they came looking for me, they must have gone after her too!"

* * *

"Nanoha! Nanoha! Wake up!"

The said brunette groaned as someone shook her shoulders roughly.

"Nanoha!"

Sleepy violet eyes blinked open, staring at the fuzzy face in front of them. "Fate-chan?"

Fate immediately hugged the half awake Takamachi, Nanoha yelping at the sudden forwardness of her best friend.

"Fate-chan? What's wrong?" Nanoha was wide awake now, looking at Fate in concern. Her gaze soon moved past the blonde and found a dishevelled looking Signum leaning against the wall by the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Signum-sama!" Nanoha exclaimed. Her gaze went back and forth between the two. "What happened! Are you alright?" Not only did Signum look a little worse for wear, but Fate was awfully flustered by something. And Nanoha hadn't even teased her about anything for the day yet.

Signum gave the confused brunette a curt nod without saying anything further. Nanoha didn't need to know about the thwarted kidnapping attempt on Fate. Signum had taken extra measures to protect the two girls from now on. No one was going to get close to them without her knowing about it. No one was going to lay a finger on them unless they went through Signum first. And for those who tried, may Kami-sama have mercy upon them.

"Are you sure?"

Nanoha frowned, very much aware of Fate's clinginess to her. Not that she minded of course. It was just that, Fate was being more clingy than usual right now. As if reading her thoughts, Fate pulled away in embarrassment, realizing just how long she had been hugging the brunette. The blonde's cheeks were pink as she murmured a soft apology. Nanoha just giggled. Fate-chan was cute.

"I am fine Takamachi-san" Signum said, keeping her as face as straight as ever. The girl's concern was touching, but again, Signum was not about to divulge the near death battle they had faced a few minutes ago.

Nanoha tilted to her head to the side and then giggled again.

A pink eyebrow went up. "Something the matter Takamachi-san?"

Nanoha smiled. "Is it perhaps… Signum-sama is not a morning person?"

Signum blinked in confusion at the statement. It was only when Fate giggled as well that she understood. A faint blush formed on her cheeks, Signum turning her head to the side as she not so stealthily fixed her hair as best as she could.

"I had a long night" Signum said in excuse. It was a complete lie, but it was better than telling Nanoha the grim truth.

"Nanoha! Your hand!"

"Eh?"

Fate held up Nanoha's bandaged right hand gingerly. "What happened?" Wine coloured eyes stared at the white bindings, Fate gritting her teeth. Did they get to Nanoha after all?

Signum must have wondered the same thing, for her expression darkened significantly.

"D-don't worry about that" Nanoha said quietly. She didn't meet Fate or Signum's gaze.

"Tell me Nanoha. Please?" Fate looked at Nanoha pleadingly.

The youngest Takamachi raised her gaze and immediately regretted it. Fate looked so scared. Signum looked rather distressed as well.

"Ah well…" Nanoha scratched the back of her head laughing warily, before looking away again. "Onii-chan and I got into another fight this morning" she murmured.

Signum's lips pressed into a fine line. "Did you hurt you?" Signum knew Kyouya to be an honourable man and to think such things about him would be blasphemous. But ever since the incident at the Takamachi dojo, the man hadn't been same.

"I-Ile…" Nanoha said shaking her head. "He didn't hit me. Onii-chan would never do that." A pause. "I just… Lindy-san once told me Camomile tea was good to calm the nerves. So I made some. I wasn't paying attention when I was taking the kettle off the stove and burned myself."

The brunette offered her companions a forced smile. "Nyahaha… Lindy-san was right though. It calmed me right down! So much so, that I fell asleep here. Hehe…" Nanoha looked sheepishly at the booth she sat in. Her half filled mug of tea sat on the table, having turned cold at this point.

Both Fate and Signum breathed in relief. "You should have Shamal-sama take a look at it Nanoha. Just to make sure." Fate gave Nanoha a relieved smile.

"I-Iie! I don't want to trouble her with something like this" Nanoha said quickly. "I mean, she's already busy enough with her stuff at the palace…"

"I'd feel better if you did that Takamachi-san" Signum said agreeing with Fate. "Shamal-san won't hurt you. That I promise."

A knock on the door interrupted Nanoha's reply. Signum slid the door to Midori-ya open halfway.

"Taichou-sama" the samurai on the other side of the door said. "The preparations have been made."

"We'll be right out."

"Hai!"

Signum closed the door before turning to look at Nanoha and Fate.

"Preparations?" Nanoha said in confusion.

"Do not worry yourself about that Takamachi-san" Signum said with a nod. "All has been taken care of, for your day with the Empress today."

"EHHHHHHHH!" Nanoha jumped to her feet, gaping. "T-t-t-t-that's today!"

"Hai" Fate said chuckling. Nanoha could be such a ditz sometimes.

"So that's why…" Nanoha stared at the pink haired samurai.

Signum nodded. "I'm here to escort you to the palace."

"I can't believe I forgot!" Nanoha tugged on Fate's hand, practically dragging the blonde behind her towards Signum. "We should leave n-"

Signum cleared her throat. "You may want to… change into something else Takamachi-san."

"Eh?" Nanoha looked down at herself. "EHHHHHHHHHHH!" The brunette squeaked as she did her best to cover herself up with her arms. She was still in her pink pyjamas, the ones with little bunnies printed on it. Nanoha flushed deeply.

"I-I'll be right back!" she stuttered. And then Nanoha was gone.

Both Fate and Signum stared at the doorway Nanoha disappeared into.

"So tell me something Testerossa-san."

"Hmm?" Fate turned to look at the pink haired captain. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the older woman fighting to conceal a smile.

"Takamachi-san likes rabbits huh?"

* * *

After ten minutes of running around, followed by frantic cries of "where is my sash!" or "I knew it put it in the closet!", Nanoha was finally ready. The brunette chose to wear her favourite kimono, a pink one with cherry blossoms printed on it with a white sash to match. Her hair was tied up in her unique side ponytail, her red magatama jewelled necklace hanging around her neck hidden under her clothes. With a quick glance in her bedroom mirror, Nanoha did a quick swirl in her spot to make sure nothing was out of place.

Soft rapping came from her door. "Nanoha? Are you alright in there?" It was Fate.

"Hai! I'll be right out Fate-chan!"

Satisfied with her outfit, Nanoha quickly tossed her discarded pyjamas into her closet with the rest of her laundry. Including a familiar white outfit partially stained red. The brunette made a quick note to do laundry when she came back later. Blood was a horrible thing to get out of clothes, especially from white.

Closing the door behind her, Nanoha grabbed Fate's hand and zipped down the stairs to meet up with Signum. "Here I am Signum-sama! Ready to go?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ This was my first attempt at writing a battle scene. And I admit, it was rather hard! Lol. Let me know what you think about it. Was it realistic? Was it overdone? Could there be more action? I'm not sure I like how it turned out, so feedback on it is much appreciated._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Taichou = Captain_

_Kami = God_

_Panzergeist__ = Armor Spirit/Tank Spirit_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	16. Welcome to the Imperial Palace!

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 15: Welcome to the Imperial Palace! ~ ***

"Uwah…"

Violet and burgundy eyes went wide. Atop one of only three onyx bridges which led into the imperial palace from the Upper District, stood Nanoha and Fate. Intricate designs were carved into the handrails of the bridge, the black onyx having been excavated from the deepest pit of Mount Fiji hundreds of years ago, after the volcano had gone silent. The palace itself sat at the bottom of Mount Nantai, protected by the natural barrier of the mountain at its back with Lake Chuzenji at its right. Nanoha couldn't but feel astounded by the black glass bridge, the brunette feeling rather sheepish when she realized the focus of her attention was just a bridge and they hadn't even made it to the palace yet.

"Taichou-sama."

Signum, having lived in the palace for many years now and was used to its grandeur, continued walking across the onyx bridge without pause. She nodded to the samurai stationed there as they saluted her when she passed. At every bridge, on average, was a unit of ten samurai standing guard. That had since been doubled with the increase of violence lately, as the clans were becoming bolder in their battles over the Spirit Seeds. Signum increased the number of samurai patrolling all districts as well, the trek from Midori-ya Cafe to the palace now overlooked by three units of samurai under Signum's direction. Many of them were hidden out of sight however, as the last thing the pink haired captain wanted was to draw unnecessary attention to Fate and Nanoha.

"Taii-san." Signum greeted her second in command with the nod of her head. The man waited for her on the other side of the bridge. Similar to her own garb, the samurai's armor was a different colour from the rest, his armor tinted bronze instead of the regular silver the other samurais wore.

Large circular beams of red wood supported massively decorated archways of dragons and phoenixes hundreds of feet in the air. Walls made of white marble, shot up into the sky, tens of feet thick, with black spikes of onyx layering the top of it. The massive man-made wall took almost a hundred years to construct, lining the perimeter of the imperial grounds with its almost impenetrable blockade. Should anyone be foolish or bold enough to attempt climbing the towering wall (somehow miraculously evading the numerous samurais guarding it), they would meet a rather painful if not fatal end at the top trying to climb over the 'black thorns of death' as they were commonly known as.

"Everything is prepared." Signum's lieutenant pulled a stray lock of brown hair from his blue eyes. "You may enter whenever you're ready." Lieutenant Vice Granscenic bowed.

A curt nod. "Thank you Taii-san."

Beyond the marble wall were the imperial gardens. Here trees, shrubs and flowers from all over Japan decorated the land. The most familiar ones were the cherry blossoms trees, which were currently in full bloom. Small pink petals showered the air in a dance of grace and beauty. Further beyond the imperial gardens was a second wall, similar to the first, except this one fenced off the inner courtyard of the palace where the samurai trained. And finally, beyond the inner courtyard itself, lay the imperial palace.

A hushed murmur. "Ne, ne Fate-chan…"

A reluctant reply. "H-hai?"

"This is… real… right?" Nanoha's gaze was now on the massive wall of marble towering over the entranceway into the imperial grounds. The brunette felt rather small looking up at the white monoliths.

"Hai." Wine coloured eyes were glued to the cherry blossom trees, the blonde wanting nothing more than to settle under one of them and snuggle with Nano- Fate shook her head to clear her thoughts. She shouldn't be thinking about those things right now! A soft blush lingered on her cheeks.

Red cherry wood tiles layered the roof of the palace with white limestone decorating the walls. Four guard houses were built at the four corners of the palace for maximum surveillance coverage. The palace itself was made of multiple smaller buildings of similar design, connected together by covered passageways and inner hallways that intertwined with each other. Zen gardens made of sand and rock dotted areas between buildings, providing a soothing atmosphere to the place. Floors were made of bamboo, and doors were made of paper. Though for the more important rooms, like the inner rooms to the Empress' chamber for example, massive wooden doors which could easily kill someone by the sheer weight of it, kept the unwanted eyes out.

"A word of warning Taichou-sama…" Vice leaned closer to Signum, keeping his voice hushed.

Signum merely raised an eyebrow at this.

"Shamal-sama was looking for you."

Signum's eyes widened slightly. "I… see…" Signum swallowed. "Thank you Taii-san. You are dismissed."

"Hai!" The brunette left Signum and her charges, to make his rounds.

Signum sighed, massaging her eyelids with her thumb and index finger. Shamal knew about the fight from earlier. The Captain of the Samurai dreaded the moment she came face to face with the blonde. In her rush to verify Nanoha's well being after they were attacked, Signum hastily shoved a hand kerchief in between her ripped armor plating and wound in the hopes it would staunch the bleeding until they got back to the palace. The wound pulsed painfully in reminder that her efforts were a rough patch job at best.

Signum blinked. It was then she realized that she hadn't heard the scuffling of feet behind her for a few minutes now. Turning around, blue eyes searched for the pair she was escorting. What could possibly be- Oh. A smile stretched across the samurai's face. How cute was that? Seriously.

Nanoha and Fate were still on the onyx bridge trying to take in all the sights around them. The pair were like newborn kittens seeing the world for the first time. Every cherry blossom petal that whooshed passed them in the air. Every ripple of water below the bridge. Every sway of the tall grasses. They couldn't but stare at everything in such childish awe and wonder.

Make no mistake, Nanoha and Fate had seen the imperial palace before. Many times in fact. There was not a district that one couldn't see it. In all its glory as an add-on to the backdrop of the horizon. But never had they actually seen it up close. And in person. Towering over them. Like Mount Fiji. Until now that is. And what they saw was… incredible to say the least. A muffled cough broke the pair out of their silent reverie, Signum smirking slightly behind her fist.

"Takamachi-san. Testerossa-san. We should continue onwards."

"H-hai!" the girls both replied in nervous unison.

They soon fell in line behind the Knight of the Sword, silently glancing left and right at the scenery passing by around them. Samurais on patrol nodded in acknowledgement of them as they passed. It would take the trio another twenty minutes to reach the inner walls of the palace at their current pace, not that the younger ones would notice as they were too engrossed in the gardens and other visual delicacies the imperial grounds offered them.

Walking into the main hall which branched off into three different directions, Signum stopped before turning to face them. "Just wait here a moment and I'll-"

"_Signum-sama."_

Signum immediately stiffened, her face paling slightly. That didn't go unnoticed by Fate and Nanoha who immediately looked at the samurai in concern. Neither of them had ever seen Signum so… nervous… before.

Movement to the left caught their attention, Nanoha and Fate turning to see Shamal approaching them with a rather large blue demon wolf walking next to her. Nanoha's hand immediate sought Fate's hand, grasping it tightly as the girl trembled at the sight of the demon beast. The brunette put on her brave face and called to Shamal in greeting.

"S-Shamal-sama! G-good morning!" Nanoha waved at the green robed attendant.

"Good morning" Fate said with a smile, albeit much softer than her best friend's greeting.

"Fate-san! Nanoha-san! Good morning!" Shamal marched up to the pair beaming brightly. "Excited for your big day today?"

Nanoha laughed wearily, scratching the back of her head. "H-hai…" she said hoping the tremble in her voice wasn't noticeable.

Shamal chuckled, inwardly noting how cute Nanoha acted when she was shy. Violet eyes lowered to the intertwined hands between the pair but said nothing. Shamal put a hand on both Fate's and Nanoha's shoulders. "Don't worry" she said soothingly. "I'm sure everything will go wonderfully today."

"Hai." Fate said, gaining some courage in Shamal's encouragement. She glanced over to Nanoha, giving her hand a squeeze. Violet eyes met her gaze and Nanoha flushed slightly.

"So Shamal-sama" Fate said turning back to the other blonde. "I didn't expect to see you here today. Did you have business with the Empress as well?"

Shamal looked to Signum, who merely blinked. The blonde chuckled. "You could say that. Being the Empress' head Otomo keeps me rather busy." Another brilliant smile.

"EHHHHHHHH!" Both Nanoha and Fate gawked at her.

"Didn't Signum-sama tell you?"

Both girls shook their head, causing Shamal to send Signum a sly grin. "I see."

Signum swallowed.

"No matter. I was actually coming here to escort you to the kitchens now that Signum-sama has graciously guided you here." Violent eyes glinted with mischief as Shamal looked to the pink haired captain. "However, it was brought to my attention earlier that I need to speak to her about a few things first."

"Shamal-san, that is not necessary" Signum quickly interjected. "We don't want to keep the Empress wait-"

"_Signum-sama_." That effectively shut Signum up. "I'm sure Zafira wouldn't mind escorting our guests to where they need to be."

"But Shamal-"

"Would you Zafira?" The blonde kept her gaze on Signum.

Zafira merely looked at the pair in mild amusement before speaking. "It would be my honour" he said.

Nanoha yelped, jumping behind Fate, clutching to the back of her kimono tightly. "I-i-i-i-it talked!" The brunette fearfully peered over Fate's shoulder at Zafira.

Everyone had jumped at Nanoha's outburst. All except Nanoha knew that Zafira could talk. It was understandable however, why Nanoha didn't know this fact. It wasn't common knowledge that demons could talk. The samurai often dealt with the demons that ventured into the three districts before anyone could realize the truth. Fate's knowledge of this however, came from some previous experience when it came to demons.

Zafira chuckled. "My apologies Nanoha-sama" he said. "I thought you already knew."

Nanoha furiously shook her head, earning a giggle from Fate. Nanoha stared at her best friend incredulously before she pouted. "Mou! That's not funny Fate-chan! Why didn't you tell me he could talk?"

"I didn't realize you didn't know."

"Mou!" Nanoha pouted more, Fate chuckling at her antics.

Seeing that Shamal's attention was elsewhere, Signum felt this the best time to make a speedy exit. She took one step away from the blonde before she felt something loop around her arm and pull her back.

"And where do you think you're going?" Shamal's face was an inch away from her own.

Signum started to sweat. "Umm… I-"

"It was great to see you two again!" Shamal said smiling at Fate and Nanoha. "I look forward to your meal today. Until then, you two have fun! And Zafira, be nice to them!" With that said, Shamal dragged a reluctant Captain of the Samurai with her in the opposite direction.

Nanoha and Fate could only blink at the pair in confusion.

Zafira shook his head. "Kids."

* * *

"Uwah…" Both Fate and Nanoha found themselves gaping for the second time of the day as Zafira led them to the imperial kitchen. The blue demon wolf pushed open the double wooden doors with ease, the light from within blinding the pair of girls momentarily. When their eyes adjusted, their jaws almost hit the floor. The kitchen itself was huge! Bigger than all of Midori-ya!

"T-this is… the kitchen?" Fate was stunned. Flabbergasted in fact. Nanoha on the other hand, was ecstatic. A pure hyper embodiment of joy and happiness.

"This is the kitchen!" the brunette squealed, startling the Imperial Hands already waiting idly there for them. Nanoha zoomed past Fate in a blur of motion to examine the inner workings of the imperial kitchen.

Zafira stared at Nanoha, trying to comprehend just where she kept all of that energy. Looking over to the amused blonde at his side, he spoke. "Is she always like this?"

Fate chuckled. "Do you really want to know?"

Zafira frowned, turning back to see Nanoha chatting animatedly with one of the Imperial Hands. "It's just a kitchen" he muttered, shaking his head again.

* * *

Signum inhaled sharply. She was in her chambers now, Shamal attending to her gash from earlier. The attendant sat behind her on her bed, Signum not having the courage to face the blonde right now. She hated when Shamal fussed over her. She hated it even more when the blonde worried about her. The samurai scowled. She should have been more attentive earlier. That way, she would have saved Shamal from all this grief.

"And just when were you going to tell me about… this?" Shamal's brows furled as she continued to wrap the bandage around the captain's ribs.

Signum said nothing.

"If you're going to be like that, then…"

Signum grunted when the bandage pulled a little too tightly around her wound, earning the blonde healer a glare. "Shamal, that hurts."

"Don't you think I hurt too when you try to hide these things from me?" Violet eyes met blue.

Signum looked away. "It wasn't anything for you to concern yourself with."

"Vice-kun tells differently."

"He-"

Shamal raised a hand silencing the strawberry blonde. "He didn't tell me directly. But it's not hard to piece things together from the reports and the murmurs of the other samurai."

Signum grumbled. "I think some discipline is in order. They talk too much."

Shamal smiled, having finished binding Signum's wound. Her initial magic had closed up the bloody mess, but even so, it would still take time to heal completely. Enchanting the bandages with healing and purifying magics, that ensured Signum's wound staved off infection and healed faster. Signum was their best swordswoman, and leader of Hayate's knights. She couldn't falter now. Shamal wouldn't allow it.

"Why do you always try so hard to be invincible?" The blonde rested her head against the back of Signum's bare shoulder.

"It is my duty to protect the Empress and her citizens" was Signum's reply. It was a well known fact that Signum had an aversion to bodily contact of any kind. Yet, the blonde attendant had somehow gotten past that barrier with her, Shamal being the only one allowed to get this close to the samurai.

"You haven't changed one bit" Shamal said chuckling quietly. "You're just like you were when I first saw you that night. Reckless and hard headed. And stubborn too."

Signum smiled. "Speak for yourself" Signum said. "Who's the one who's pushy, unrelenting and just plain annoying?"

"Annoying?"

For that comment, Signum received a poke to the ribs causing her to jolt upright and squirm from the feather light touch. The Captain of the Samurai bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Signum was rather ticklish, that fact unknown to most.

"You-"

A knock on the captain's bedroom door interrupted their moment.

"What is it?" Signum responded gruffly. The interruption miffed Signum greatly. Shamal backed up to give her space to shrug on a new set of armor.

"A message for you Taichou-sama" the samurai on the opposite side of the door shouted through. "The Empress' guest will be arriving within the hour."

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _Mount_ _Nantai_ _(also called Futarasan) is a stratovolcano in the Nikkō_ _National Park_ _in central Honshū, the main island_ _of Japan. You can find more information about it here: http:[doubleslash]en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Mount_Nantai_

_Just a disclaimer, I know nothing about how the real imperial palace was built in Tokyo. I'm just making stuff up based on pictures I've seen. All in all, the palace was very challenging to describe, and I can only hope as you were reading, you had a picture of what I was thinking of. For those of you __having trouble envisioning the place, check out the link below for the picture I based the palace on._

_http:[doublelslash]en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/File:Tokyo_Imperial_Palace_pic_08[dot]jpg_

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Taichou = Captain_

_Taii = Lieutenant_

_Otomo = Attendant_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	17. Meeting with the Empress

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 16: Meeting with the Empress ~ ***

Jail Scaglietti marched down the hallways of Japan's infamous imperial palace. Before coming here, he had heard many stories about the place. Rumour had it that the palace was haunted by the Empress' predecessor. And that demons took people in the middle of the night as they lay sleeping and helpless. And then there was that one about the Captain of the Samurai, a woman with the most unusual shade of hair. She apparently could topple anything, no matter how big, or how small, with just a look. Nothing but silly gossip Jail knew, but nevertheless, he felt the need for caution was necessary. So he brought a bodyguard along with him.

"The dining hall is this way Scaglietti-sama" the attendant leading him said. The alchemist was rather surprised to learn his guide spoke English. Quite fluently in fact. He had to hand it to the Empress, she knew her stuff. Not that it really mattered. Jail was well versed in languages, Japanese among them. So it wasn't to say he didn't understand what was being said. He just couldn't speak it well.

"Thank you" Jail replied, also in English, and continued to follow the girl.

Jail hadn't paid much heed to the young lady leading them beyond the girl's gift with words. In all honesty, this attendant and all the rest looked the same to him. Their flowy, colourful and extravagant robes covered up everything distinguishable about the people under the garb. And with so many of them flurrying around the palace on this errand and that, Jail stopped trying to tell them apart after confusing his attendant with another for the fifth time in the span of minutes.

Unlike his gracious hosts, Jail wore something of the simpler nature. A white silk long sleeve shirt with tan coloured pants. Over top that was his brown skin trench coat, which went all the way down to his calves. It offered the maximum protection against the elements as well as the explosions that followed from his concoctions gone wrong. Alchemy could be a life threatening profession at times, more so when your experiments tended to explode without a moment's notice.

Brown leather boots adorned his feet, lined with sheepskin to keep him warm and his feet comfortable. The hours upon hours spent on his feet were astronomical. But that was the price to pay for being the best alchemist of his time. The ingredients didn't walk themselves over to the cauldron after all. Brown leather gloves coated his hands, and to complete his outfit, a brown leather belt with numerous pouches wrapped around his waist.

Jail's dark violet shoulder length hair was tied in a low ponytail for aesthetic purposes. Realizing the colour was unusual in this side of the world, he didn't want to scare the locals by appearing crazy or something with billowing wisps of stray hair flying all over the place. He could do little about his amber coloured eyes however, and did his best to appear friendly whenever he saw someone cringe in fear upon sight of them.

Rounding the corner he saw his attendant disappear around, Jail soon found himself on the red carpeted floor on his behind, holding his throbbing nose. A gasp behind him drew his attention upwards, to the thing he'd unknowingly walked into. A rather large thing he noted, now that he looked at it. A significantly humongous thing towering over him menacingly. An armoured hand reached for him.

"My lord!"

The clank of steel upon steel echoed loudly through the hallway. Jail's body guard gritted her teeth in aggravation as the monolith of armor blocked the downward slash with its gauntlet.

"Scaglietti-sama!" the attendant shouted in surprise, well beyond the metal giant down the hallway. The girl rushed back to her fallen guest. "My apologies Scaglietti-sama! I should have warned you the Emperor's armor was being moved today. The storeroom it was in ran a leak and we had to move it as soon as possible."

"The… Emperor's…" Jail gawked. Here he was, on the floor, staring up at the former Emperor's samurai armor. It was a truly magnificent piece of art. Gold lined the edges of the blood red armor. Red silk held the armor bound in place. And Jail could have sworn he saw black plates of onyx woven into the arm guards as well as other places on the suit.

But right now Jail didn't have time to stare at the suit of armor in awe. No. Right now, he was staring at the hollowed eyes behind the demon looking mask which covered the face of the wearer. There were no eyes. Just black pits of nothingness. Jail went pale.

"Again my apologies Scaglietti-sama" the attendant said helping Jail to his feet.

Seeing as the suit of armor was not attacking further, Jail's body guard retracted her blade and sheathed it. She did not move from her spot however, keeping her body between the obviously haunted armor and her master. How did she know it was haunted? She felt no magic coming from the thing. And yet here it was, moving on its own. But as weary as she was, she was not afraid. It was her duty to protect her lord, even with her life when it came to it. Fear had no place in distracting her from her job.

"I-it's quite alright y-young man." Jail could not help stuttering. He swallowed uneasily, his eyes still on the blood coloured armor. "L-l-l-let's continue to the dining hall" he said quickly. "We w-w-w-wouldn't want to keep the E-Empress waiting."

Hastily inching around the giant of metal, Jail quickly followed behind the attendant, shaking. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure they were not followed, Jail's eyes widened when he saw the armor reach up with gauntleted arms twist its helmeted head off. Before it did, Jail turned back to stare at the attendant's back, sweat dripping down the side of his face.

"Are you alright milord?" his bodyguard whispered, falling in line with her master.

"F-f-f-fine D-Deed" Jail replied tight lipped. "That was just… unexpected."

* * *

Griffith Lowran tugged hard at the helmet on his head. After the fifth tug, he was freed from the contraption and able to breathe again. When Signum requested his help in moving the Emperor's ceremonial armor, he didn't realize he'd have to go this far in doing so. Why, when there were so many attendants roaming the palace, was he the only one stuck with this job? He was an important advisor to the Empress yes, but still. Since when did advisors move armor around the palace weighting more than three grown men?

Griffith sighed and slowly trudged towards the storage room in the west wing, one heavy footstep at a time. Signum demanded efficiency and speed when moving the armor. How he came up with this brilliant idea, that being wearing the armor himself rather than carrying it piece by piece back and forth, he did not know.

It wasn't the greatest of plans as the former Emperor was half a head taller than him. That left Griffith peering out of the thin slit where the mouth was in the face mask. He could barely see a damn thing that way which caused him to walk someone. It must have been a bit shocking to see the old armor moving around by itself. For when he reached to help the man up, he was attacked by-

"Oh gods!" Griffith examined the left gauntlet of the armor. To his horror, he found a sizable scratch where the blade of the sword met the armoured arm. Griffith groaned and hung his head. Signum was going to kill him.

* * *

It took Jail a few minutes to shake off his residual tremors. The chance meeting with the haunted armor was a pure fluke he convinced himself. A coincidence. Nothing more. It was probably related to magic somehow. Either that or… Jail swallowed uneasily. Or it was because of a curse. But there were no such things as curses. Those were silly stories told to children to scare them-

An inhuman roar.

Jail wanted to faint. Now, standing in front of the group was a large blue demon wolf. It was the size of a mountain cat at the very least, if not bigger. And it had the largest brown coloured eyes he had ever seen. But that was not what caught Jail's attention. No, it was the unconscious green haired man draped over the creature's back. Deed stiffened next to Jail at the sight, her hands already on the handles of her blades. First the haunted armor and now this? Just what sort of place was this!

Jail's attendant, seemingly used to such things, simply shook her head at the demon wolf. The blue wolf in turn grinned a teethy smile and then darted off down another hallway and around the corner.

"Forgive the intrusion there Scaglietti-sama" the attendant said turning back to her guest. "Normally the palace is not so lively, I assure you. Please follow me, we're almost there."

"R-right…" was all Jail could say.

* * *

Nanoha frowned. "You sure he'll be alright. He went really pale."

Aina Triton, the head chef in the imperial palace laughed. "Verossa-san will be just fine" she assured the brunette as he continued to chop some vegetables. "He's always been squeamish around blood and tends to faint at the sight of it." To the chef's right was her assistant chef slicing up some bloody beef.

"If you say so…" Nanoha looked at the door to the kitchen again. A hand on her shoulder drew her attention back.

"Don't worry Nanoha" Fate said smiling. "Zafira-sama will take him to Shamal-sama. He'll be fine."

"Hai!"

* * *

"Milord?" Deed glanced at her master in concern. Jail was white, very white since that encounter with the demon wolf. And as much as she hated to admit it openly, Deed was feeling rather uncertain about things herself. Had it not been for the knowledge of her unique talents, she might have turned around right then and there, refusing to take her lord any further, meeting with the Empress or not.

"I'm fine Deed" Jail said shakily. He cleared his throat and straightened out his jacket. He even stood straighter. Jail could not falter now. Not after he'd gotten so far. His goal was in view. He could see it! There were just a few more pieces of the puzzle to acquire and meeting with the Empress was the beginning of it.

"Ah Laguna-san" a melodic voice danced through the air. "Shamal-san was looking for you."

Jail turned to the owner of the voice and found himself entranced by a rather beautiful samurai. One that wore gold plated armor. And had pink hair. Wait. Pink hair? Jail gulped, his amber eyes widening.

"Taichou-sama!" The attendant leading Jail bowed lowly. "It is an honour to be in your presence" the young girl said.

"The Captain of the Samurai" Deed whispered to Jail. Burgundy eyes sized up the woman. Deed noted her a worthy adversary, the aura surrounding the samurai being a very powerful one at that.

"Raise your head Laguna-san" Signum said. "The only one you should be bowing to is the Empress."

The pink haired captain looked to Jail and his bodyguard. "And they are?"

"Scaglietti-sama and his attendant" Laguna replied, still bowing to the samurai. "The Empress' guests."

"Ah yes" Signum said in recognition of the name. Blue eyes narrowed slightly, noting how scrawny and weak the man looked. The woman at his side however was one of great strength.

"I am Signum, Captain of the Samurai and personal body guard to the Empress. An honour to meet with you Scaglietti-sama." Just like Laguna, Signum's English was flawless. She gave the pair a curt bow. Turning her attention back to the attendant, Signum spoke again. "Shamal-san is in the gardens waiting for you. I will take the Empress' guests the remainder of the way."

"Hai!" Laguna said. She turned to Jail and Deed and bowed to them both. "A good day to you Scaglietti-sama. Attendant-sama." And she was off.

Blue eyes turned back to the pair. "If you'll follow me, I shall lead you the rest of the way."

Jail whimpered.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _For those of you wondering why I put Verossa Acous as the fainted chef, I always thought of him to be a rather spoiled rich guy. That's probably not the case, but the way he came across to me in the anime, always in fine white suits, his hair perfectly styled, letting his magic dogs do all the work, I kind of wondered if he actually got himself bloody at all for anything. Lol. He seemed the perfect candidate for being squeamish at the sight of blood. Hehe._

_As for Laguna Granscenic as being one of the many less important attendants to the Empress, as I had put Vice as the lieutenant of the samurai in a previous chapter, it seemed to make sense that Laguna was nearby and helping out too._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Taichou = Captain_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	18. Meeting with the Empress Part II

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 17: Meeting with the Empress Part II ~ ***

"_Fate-chan._"

The said blonde stiffened at the sound of her name. Burgundy coloured eyes looked guiltily into violet ones. "H-hai Nanoha?"

"What are you doing Fate-chan?" There was really no need for Nanoha to ask that question. It was very clear to the brunette what her partner in the kitchen was up to.

Fate swallowed, trying her hardest to put on the most innocent smile she could. She was failing miserably, she knew. But still, it never hurt to try…

"I'm preparing this next dish to go out" Fate said feigning innocence.

Nanoha's eyebrow arched upwards, the brunette putting her hands on her hips. "And that involves tasting on one of the cakes?"

Cakes. Ah yes. Her ploy had been discovered. Fate was supposed to be adding the last glazing to the amazing moon cakes Nanoha pulled hot from the oven a few minutes ago. The small delicacies steamed delightfully as the honey syrup was applied to them. Fate had done her job as requested, successfully and efficiently coating the cakes with their final layer of awesome sweetness. But that was five minutes ago.

And for five minutes, Fate torturously fought with her inner sweet tooth as she stared at the cooling cakes in the tray in front of her. Nanoha was busy with another set of pastries on the other side of the massive kitchen. The imperial chefs also kept the brunette busy, asking for guidance with this pastry and that as they assisted her in the desserts. Nanoha would be none the wiser if one of the cakes… disappeared…

And so Fate decided it was in the best interest of the Empress to _test_ one of these moon cakes. Gods forbid the cake be too sweet or too hot. Such an insult would never be forgiven. And to save her beloved friend the pain and torment from a beheading that would surely follow if that were to happen, Fate eagerly volunteered herself as the taste tester and scapegoat, to avoid that worse case scenario. The only problem was, Nanoha caught her just as she was about to eat one of the palm size moon cakes.

"Someone has to make sure they're the right sweetness" Fate said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And if it's too hot, whose head do you think the Empress will be looking for? Not mine. You're the head Shefu here."

Fate nodded as if to emphasize the point before she continued. "I, for one… umm…" Fate swallowed shyly, a flush forming on her cheeks. "I rather like Nanoha's head where it is" she said quietly. The blonde looked away.

Fate jumped when she felt Nanoha's fingers graze across her own to snatch the moon cake from her hand. "You're absolutely right Fate-chan" the brunette said smiling sweetly.

"I am?" Fate looked at Nanoha in confusion. Was she hearing things? Maybe the sweet aroma of pastries was finally getting to her. All this baking and no eating could drive anyone crazy.

"I'm so lucky to have a friend like you Fate."

Fate missed the lack of honorifics as Nanoha took a bite out of the moon cake she confiscated from Fate. Burgundy eyes widened. Unlike normal quick bites meant to consume food for none other than to keep one's body going, this bite was long, stretched out and almost… teasing. Fate gulped, her eyes never leaving Nanoha's pouty lips as a pink tongue darted from between them to lick them clean.

"Mmmmm…" Nanoha purred, making Fate feel suddenly a little faint. Was it getting hot in here or what?

Half hooded violet eyes sparkled. "You glazed them just right Fate-chan."

Fate stood stunned, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She had the cutest flush on her face Nanoha noted. The brunette grinned like a Cheshire cat, a crafty thought coming to mind. "Have a bite Fate-chan. You'll see what I mean."

That snapped Fate out of her stupor, her wine coloured eyes going even wider as Nanoha offered the half eaten moon cake for her to eat. The cake that Nanoha had bitten into.

"Say ahhh Fate-chan."

Fate gulped again, the flush on her cheeks going even darker as the cake came closer and closer to her lips. "Nano-ah!"

The brunette pushed the rest of the moon cake into her friend's mouth, fingertips lightly gliding along Fate's lips as Nanoha retracted her hand. The blonde almost choked, as Nanoha immediately brought her fingers up to her own lips and licked them.

"Pretty good, huh Fate-chan?" Nanoha smiled.

Fate could only nod her head numbly, unsure of what shocked her more. The fact that Nanoha had knowingly tortured her so. Or the fact that she just finished the cake Nanoha had bitten into. The brunette giggled.

"Now that we know it's perfect, can you take it out for me?"

"H-hai!"

* * *

Jail Scaglietti sat at an enormously huge mahogany table. It spanned the width of the already stupidly large room he resided in, all decked out with red linens of the finest threads with gold embossing the edges. Deed sat to his right, silent as ever as they waited for the Empress to make an appearance. While it irked the alchemist that the Empress was intentionally making him wait, he could not fault the woman as he did come here rather early. An hour early in fact. He just didn't think the Empress would be the type of person who stuck to deadlines. Then again, she was a very busy lady, running a country and all.

A half grumbling and half gurgling noise caused Jail to look to his right. Deed flushed embarrassedly and turned her face away to hide her pink cheeks. Jail chuckled. He couldn't blame his bodyguard for feeling hungry. The Empress was gracious enough to invite him for lunch and about five minutes ago, the imperial chefs started bringing out the dishes they were to eat. All of the food looked absolutely marvellous. Jail couldn't stop his mouth from watering the moment the smells reached his nose.

There were meats of all kind; pork, fish, beef, chicken, and even a few Jail didn't recognize. There was also a variety of rices, vegetables and legumes served as well. Hell, even mashed potatoes (Jail's secret fetish) also steamed on the table in front of him. But it was rude to eat without their host. And so, he and Deed waited.

And that's when he saw her. Out of the corner of his eye, Jail caught sight of blonde hair. Such a colour was unusual in this part of the world. He didn't doubt there were a few foreigners visiting at this time, but for one to be working as an imperial chef (as her outfit dictated), Jail found that rather intriguing. Then he noticed her blood coloured eyes. He could not hide his shock.

"Milord?" Deed had noticed her master's stunned expression, a ball of worry forming in the pit of her stomach.

Jail watched as the chef deposited a gold platter of the most delicious looking cakes he had ever seen on the table. He opened his mouth to say-

"Presenting her Excellency, the Empress of Japan."

Startled by the voice, Jail's head snapped to the left in search of its owner. He found Signum, the Captain of the Samurai, standing at the door he had entered from earlier. Blinking, Jail immediately sought the blonde chef only to find her already gone. Movement at the far end of the room caught his attention. Jail was amazed to see the elaborate tapestry on the opposite end of the room to him (which he assumed merely decorated the wall like the rest of them) lifted like a curtain revealing another curtain made of bamboo. In front of the semi-translucent bamboo curtain was a green robed blonde woman, someone he assumed to be an attendant to the Empress.

"The Empress welcomes you to Japan Scaglietti-sama" the attendant said in perfect English. "I am Shamal, the Empress' attendant and her voice for this meeting."

With that said, the bamboo curtain started to rise, only to stop halfway revealing the robe of the Empress as she sat on her throne, leaving from her shoulders up distorted and skewed by the bamboo sheeting.

_Clever girl._ Amber eyes narrowed slightly. "It honours me that you've accepted my request and graciously invited me to lunch your Highness."

Jail stood from his cushion on the floor and bowed respectfully to the Empress. Deed followed suit, her keen red eyes noting all of the samurai hidden amongst the shadows in the room. Had her senses not been as sharp, she wouldn't have noticed them at all. For the moment however, she ignored them and pretended they weren't even there.

Shamal turned her head towards the half hidden Empress, whispering to the woman. Jail assumed the attendant was translating his words for her.

"The Empress is very interested in your proposition Scaglietti-sama" Shamal said after a brief pause. "She has received many propositions from a number of countries, but none of them had interested her like yours did."

"Again Empress, you honour me."

And so the banter went back and forth. Shamal would speak as the Empress and Jail would reply back politely. They talked about general things at first as lunch kicked off. The state of the weather. The location of the palace. Then the topics turned towards the state of the world. The power of the nations. And finally, once everyone had their fill of the wonderful delicacies and sinfully delicious deserts, Jail's true topic came up.

"The Empress is curious about the device you described in your proposal Scaglietti-sama" Shamal said. She too was rather curious about it as Hayate had asked her opinion of the alchemist's claim on paper before hand.

"I thought you would be your Excellency." Jail stood up. "May I demonstrate my device?"

Shamal turned to the Empress once more, listening for a few seconds before turning back to look at Jail. "You may" was all she said.

"Excellent." A wide grin stretched across his face. "I require the aid of your Captain of the Samurai if that's alright."

Signum, who like Shamal, had been in attendance the whole time, turned to look at the Empress for permission. Shamal nodded. Deed rose to her feet and followed after Jail silently as they both met with the pink haired samurai in the open space of the room, closer to the Empress but out of the way of the table.

"Lady Signum" Jail said. "I ask that you fight my body guard Deed."

"Fight?" Shamal could not hide the alarm in her voice.

Signum immediately turned to the Empress, again for permission. It wasn't that Signum wasn't willing to indulge the man and show her true talent, but something about his request didn't sit right with her. Perhaps it was the way he looked at her, like a predator staring down at its prey. He was completely different from when she first met him in the hallway.

Deed noticed all the hidden samurais stiffen at Jail's words. Without a doubt, they had no intention of letting something happen to their beloved captain.

"The Empress will allow it" Shamal said staring at the Empress. Shamal didn't like this anymore than Signum did. But if that's what Hayate wanted, who were they to disagree?

"Very well" Signum said turning to look at her opponent.

"Thank you Empress." Jail bowed deeply. The grin on his face widened out of sight.

"Signum-sama" Shamal said in warning. "The Empress reminds you to use non lethal force in this matter."

Deed raised an eyebrow at this. Blood red eyes narrowed slightly.

"Understood" was all Signum said.

Jail backed away from the pair, and out of harm's way to stand next to the dining table. "Lady Signum" he said. "You have the honour of taking the first strike."

"As you wish."

For a moment, nothing happened. Signum stood in a low and wide stance. Her hand rested on the handle of her Levantine which was still sheathed at her side. Deed on the other hand, had drawn her twin blades and held them loosely at her sides, pointed outward. Both swordswomen held each other's gaze, both trying their best to size up their opponent before blades clashed. Blue eyes narrowed at blood red ones. Then Signum moved.

In a blur of movement, Signum drew Levantine in one fluid motion and slashed vertically. She was far enough away that her attack would not wound the woman, just slice off the white head band holding her brown hair back. Deed just barely crossed her blades in front of her time to intercept the attack. The clash of metal against metal was unmistakeable, both blades ringing loudly as they connected. Deed's arms shook from the sheer power Signum was using, their blades screeching against each other as they rubbed from the minute movement between them.

Oh how Jail wanted to laugh. The Empress and her motley crew were just full of surprises! Never did he ever think, in his wildest dreams, he'd ever see one of the weapons of legend. Signum's Levantine was unmistakeable, the violet fist sized magatama jewel rotating calmly where the hilt connected with the blade. Remarkable! Jail wanted nothing more than to study weapon. But he quelled his inner curiosity. All of that would come in due time.

A smirk curved on Signum's lips. It was rather thrilling to meet an opponent at her level. The Captain of the Samurai had come across very few opponents who could keep pace with her and the ones that could, were far and too few. Jumping backwards, Signum dashed around to Deed's right before darting in again and slashing at her with a diagonal downwards slash followed by a horizontal slash. Metal clanked against metal as both attacks were blocked.

Deed back pedaled a few steps to put some distance between them. As evenly matched as they appeared to be, they were not. Deed clearly knew Signum was stronger than her and probably had more stamina than her. Deed was built for speed and efficiency. The longer this battle dragged on, the more likely she would be defeated.

After a particular nasty set of slashes of which Deed just barely parried and defended against, the body guard stood breathing heavily, sweat rolling down her face. Signum too showed some exhaustion from her exertion, but clearly not to the extent Deed was. Blood red eyes looked over her shoulder at Jail. He nodded slightly. A smirk crept up on her lips.

Signum charged at her again, and the moment she came without arm's reach, Deed's blades lit up bright reddish-orange and the calm air was shattered with a low chime. With a flash of colour and Signum was thrown back into the stairs that led up to the Empress' throne.

"Signum!" Shamal rushed to her friend's side, pale and shaking.

Hayate was already on her feet in shock and surprise. She fought with herself to stay behind the bamboo curtain to remain faceless despite Jail now showing his true colours. The samurais in the shadows left their hiding places and now surrounded Jail and Deed, swords drawn. Deed's twin blades still glowed reddish-orange, giving off a low hum as they vibrated with energy. Signum grunted, blue eyes blazing with rage as her Panzergeist dissipated. Levantine was still held in front of her defensively, despite the captain having been slammed back first into the edge of the stairs. Levantine chimed softly in intervals, reacting to Deeds seemingly enchanted blades.

Jail laughed, raising up his hands in surrender. "My apologies for the deception Empress. I meant no harm, I assure you. This is what I wanted to show you."

Holding out a hand to his body guard, Deed gave one of her blades to the alchemist. Turning the blade over in his hand, Jail turned the butt end of the pommel towards the Empress to reveal a coin sized reddish-orange magatama jewel with a white line through it.

"Not as powerful as your Spirit Seeds" Jail said smirking. "But still rather effective. It has taken many years of study, but my research has finally come to fruition. Behold!"

Jail could not stop the grin from spreading across his face.

"I present to you the solution to your Spirit Seed problem. The artificial Spirit Seed! I call them, Logia Relicia!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I honestly have no idea how moon cakes are made. I made that part completely up. XD Also, I don't know much about imperial etiquette and what not, so if this is wrong, oh well. I made it up for the story. Hehe._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Shefu = Chef_

_Panzergeist = Armor Spirit/Tank Spirit_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	19. Late Night Visitors

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below._

_Knight of Dusk – For some reason, I didn't realize you reviewed (despite reviewing for chapter 5) until now. I'm wondering if there was a glitch on ffnet as you're not the first unsigned reviewer I've missed. I'm really sorry about that. Thanks for the comment. ^^ As for Vivio and if she'll be showing up, and who the saint is, that you'll just have to wait and see. Hehe. Thanks again! :)_

_3 – Again, as mentioned in the previous unsigned review, I did not see your comment until now. Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying it. ^^ There are many more chapters to come, so stay tuned! ^^_

_another reviewer XP – For some reason, I did not see your comment until now. Wow, I'm really sorry about that. I'm glad you're enjoying the tale. Thanks for the comment. ^^_

_ randomreviewer – I think a general apology is in order to all unsigned reviewers. I'm always very specific when replying back to comments and until today, I hadn't seen a single unsigned review until now. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. Hopefully I won't have that problem again. Thanks for the comment!_

_thunyaporn – My apologies, I was supposed to write you back in the previous chapter, but things got a little crazy around posting time and I forgot. Sorry about that. I'm glad you liked the chapter. ^^ Hopefully, this one will be just as exciting for you. Thanks again. :)_

_kris-tim – Thanks for the comment. :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. You asked for the next chapter, and here it is. Enjoy! ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 18: Late Night Visitors ~ ***

"Fate-chan?"

Burgundy eyes lowered from the night sky to the owner of the voice. "Kaa-san?"

Harlaown Lindy peered up at the tiled rooftop of the Harlaown house, dressed in nothing more than her nightgown and a cloak. Fate leaned forward to see just past the edge of the roof, surprised to find her adopted mother outside, at this late hour, staring up at her. And in the cold no less.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Lindy smiled at the blonde. Fate's climbing abilities never ceased to amaze the teal haired woman. How Fate was able to climb out of her bedroom window to the roof without falling remained a mystery. Thankfully Lindy didn't have to go too far when searching for her adoptive daughter in times like this.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Fate shook her head, blonde tresses swirling about in the calm air. She looked up at the crescent moon once again, trying to order her thoughts.

"Still thinking about _him_?"

* * *

_~ Four hours before ~_

"Thank you for walking me back home Signum-sama" Fate said smiling.

Signum, Fate and Nanoha currently stood at the gates to the Harlaown residence in the middle district. Evening had fallen, the stars already out and twinkling in the night sky. Fate and Nanoha had dined at the imperial palace for dinner, at Signum and Shamal's request. It was a celebratory meal for all their hard work in the imperial kitchens, cooking lunch for the Empress earlier. It was also an apology of sorts, as the pair had to wait for almost six hours in the guest room to learn whether or not their meal was acceptable. They didn't see the Empress at all during their stay at the palace, though that was not all unexpected. The Empress was a busy woman after all.

"It was my honour Testerossa-san" Signum replied with a small smile of her own. "I would gladly do this everyday for you both should you choose to accept the Empress' offer."

The meeting with the Empress' guest went on longer than expected, leaving both girls waiting anxiously for the results of their meal. In the end, both of them fell asleep on the couch in the guest room, only to be woken up by Shamal and Signum when the women came to give them the good news. The Empress loved the meal and had their contracts written up immediately. They were to start work the day after they accepted the terms, all of which were more than either of them could have ever asked for. Both Nanoha and Fate were flabbergasted speechless. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect such a quick response or offer.

"Nyahaha, you're too kind Signum-sama" Nanoha said blushing in embarrassment. "I wouldn't impose on you like that. You're busy enough already with more important things."

Both Nanoha and Fate requested some time to think about the Empress' offer. As excited as they both were, working for the Empress would change things dramatically for them. First off, they would have to move into the upper district, where their protection was guaranteed should one of the assassin clans try to hurt them. People would go to any lengths to get to the Empress, including attacking those closest to her. Family would also have to be considered, as well as arrangements to ensure their safety. This affected Nanoha especially, as Kyouya was still recovering and was unable to be moved for a while yet. And then there were things like adjusting to their new status and the politics of the upper court of nobles. Neither of them looked forward to that.

"It would be no problem Takamachi-san" Signum said, turning her gaze to the brunette. "It would be an honour in fact."

"Fate-chan? Is that you?"

The trio turned towards the gate at the sound of Lindy's voice.

"Hai Kaa-san!" Fate said opening the gate to the Harlaown residence. "I'll be right in."

"We should get going" Signum said to Nanoha. "It's getting late."

Nanoha nodded. "Good night Fate-chan!" The brunette tackled her best friend in a hug.

Fate stumbled backwards a few steps from the sudden shift in weight, but managed to keep them both upright. The blonde smiled, cheeks pink. "Good night Nanoha. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uhn!"

Signum bowed to Fate before turning around to lead Nanoha away. Nanoha waved before following behind the samurai into the darkness of the night. Fate waved back until she could no longer see them. Shutting the gate behind her, Fate walked the few steps to the front door of the house. Lindy was already there to greet her.

"Welcome back Fate-chan!" Lindy wrapped her arms around the blonde and hugged her tightly. "How did everything go?"

Despite the eagerness in her mother's voice, Fate detected a hint of hesitation as well, causing her to pause before answering. "It went-Nii-san!"

Chrono smiled sheepishly behind his mother standing in the doorway. "Hi Fate. Welcome home."

Fate smiled brightly. "So you were able to make it tonight."

"Ah well…"

Wine coloured eyes shifted to the person behind Chrono, a man with piercing amber eyes and long violet hair. The said person emerged from the sitting room.

"Is that Fate?"

Both Chrono and Lindy stiffened at the sound of the man's voice. Lindy's lips pressed into a fine line. Chrono's jaw clenched. Both actions did not go unnoticed by the youngest Harlaown.

"I didn't realize we had company" Fate said cautiously. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your moment Fate" the man said in broken Japanese. His accent was thick, definitely identifying him as a foreigner. His clothes even looked different. But it was the look in his eyes that caught Fate's attention. Something familiar, yet unsettling.

"Do I… know you?"

The man smiled wearily, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. "Umm… It's been a very long time since we last saw each other Fate. I almost didn't recognize you."

Fate was on full alert now, goose bumps popping up on her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck raising. "Who are you?" A demand. Not a question.

The man swallowed, glancing quickly to Chrono and Lindy before looking back to her. "Fate, I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I'm your father."

* * *

Lindy sighed when she saw Fate tense at the mention of their late night guest. The conversation after Fate returned from the imperial palace was… awkward, to say the least. Mostly, it was the four of them staring at each other around the table not knowing what to say. Jail tried his best to find some middle ground with Fate, speaking about general things hoping to peak her interest. But Fate always replied with one word answers when asked something, and ended any line of discussion they had very quickly.

A clatter made Fate jump. The blonde looked back to her adoptive mother. To her surprise, there was now a wooden ladder propped up against the side of the house and Lindy came climbing up. The former co-captain of the City Guard smiled at Fate's stunned expression as she sat down next to her.

"You didn't think you were the only climber in the house, did you?"

"I-Ile…" Fate began. "I-"

Lindy laughed. "I may be old, but I can still climb. Though, maybe not through windows like you, but still."

Fate blushed in embarrassment.

"Just don't go jumping off the roof now, or you'll give me a heart attack. Clyde used to do that all the time just to scare me. That man!" Lindy shook her head chuckling.

"I would never do that Kaa-san!"

Lindy smiled at Fate's horrified expression. "I'm just teasing Fate-chan." The older woman bumped shoulders with the younger Harlaown, smiling all the while.

"Ah… right. Teasing…" Fate smiled slightly, her gaze shifting to her feet. A light weight pressed onto her shoulder.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Lindy asked. Her head rested against Fate's shoulder. The blonde still wore her black kimono with cherry blossoms printed on it.

Fate sighed, picking at her sleeves restlessly. "I don't even know where to begin…"

A pause. "How about you start with what you're feeling right now?"

Fate brought her knees up to her chest, poking at the hem of her kimono. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel" she said reluctantly.

Lindy glanced up at Fate's face, noting the look of twisted anguish. She frowned but said nothing further. Fate would talk it out when she was ready.

"What do you say to the Otou you don't remember when he suddenly shows up at your doorstep ten years later proclaiming you're his Musume?" Fate pursed her lips. "How do I even know he's really my Tou-san and not some pretender?" Fate crossed her arms over her knees, resting her chin on them.

"He said some things that we couldn't deny" Lindy offered. A weak reply on her part, but it was better than nothing.

"I have no memory of before I met you Kaa-san" Fate said in aggravation. "He could be making it up and I wouldn't know!"

"Shhh Fate, it's alright." Lindy pulled Fate into her arms, stroking Fate's back. Fate was trembling. The older Harlaown knew it wasn't because of the chill in the night air. "It's alright…"

Fate curled up in her adopted mother's arms, the soothing touch of the older woman calming her down bit by bit. "I don't know what to think" she said in almost a whisper.

"You're scared."

Fate nodded, feeling the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"It's natural to feel scared about this Fate-chan." Lindy ran a hand gently through Fate's hair. "If what Scaglietti-sama says is true, things will change."

"But I don't want things to change!" Fate exclaimed. "It took me ten years to figure out things. To figure out who I am. To figure out the real me. And now he comes in here, and says these things, making me question everything I have come to know, and I don't know what to do!"

"Oh Fate." Lindy grimaced.

"I don't want things to change!" Fate repeated, tears streaking her cheeks. "All I've ever needed was you, Nii-san and Nanoha. But now… now I don't know what I need anymore…"

Lindy smiled. "Does Nanoha know how you feel about her?" She didn't meet her adopted daughter's gaze. She didn't need to.

Fate went ramrod stiff. "E-eh?" Burgundy eyes widened. Fate pulled away from Lindy to sit upright. She looked at the teal haired woman.

Lindy chuckled. "I may be old, but even I'm not too old to see how you two act around each other."

Fate was horrified. "Y-you mean-"

"Oh yes" Lindy confirmed. "I know exactly how you feel about the youngest of the Takamachis."

"Y-you're m-mistaken!" Fate said. She roughly wiped her face on her sleeves as she fought back the blush on her cheeks. "W-we're just really good friends. T-t-that's all!"

Lindy gave Fate a sly grin. "So you say."

Fate's flush darkened, the blonde looking at her lap, fidgeting anxiously. "E-even if what you say was true, Nanoha probably doesn't even feel that way about me." A sad smile. Nanoha loved to tease her, but that was it.

Lindy sighed heavily. It seemed like a bit of tough love was in order. She slapped Fate upside the head. "Don't be foolish Fate-chan. Nanoha loves you just as much as you love her."

Fate froze, one hand rubbing the back of her head. The moment Lindy hit her, she seriously thought the older woman was going to punish her for being so silly. But then when she went and said that, Fate could only stare. "Okaa-san… You mean… That... That doesn't… bother you?"

"Bother me?" Lindy raised an eyebrow at Fate. "Why would that bother me?"

"Well… I mean…" Fate found herself again fidgeting, the flush still ever present on her cheeks. "W-we're both women and-"

Lindy laughed loudly, startling the blonde. "You can't but love who you love, my dear." The teal haired woman smiled. "If Nanoha makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

Fate blinked.

"She's a good girl" Lindy said, wrapping an arm around Fate's shoulders. "I know she'll take good care of you. And you'll take care of her too." A gentle squeeze.

"Okaa-san…" Fate was speechless. She could feel the tears coming back, Fate truly touched by her adopted mother's acceptance of her.

"So when are you going to tell her?" The waggle of teal eyebrows.

"W-what?"

Lindy grinned, mischief glinting in her eyes. "When are you going to tell Nanoha that you love her? I'm not going to wait for grand babies forever you know."

"K-Kaa-san!" Fate's face was scarlet.

Lindy laughed again. "If you need some advice on how to get your girl Fate, I know a few tricks of my own. In fact..."

The eldest Harlaown continued to give her adopted daughter advice on love long into the night, much to Fate's horror. Fate wasn't sure what horrified her more, the fact that her mother found out about her crush or the fact that Lindy was already talking about grand babies at her age. The youngest Harlaown could only hope that Chrono wouldn't catch wind of this. If he did, Fate would never hear the end of it.

Unseen to both women, a small shadow zipped behind them and darted off towards the imperial palace. Silver platinum hair whipped in the wind as tiny blue eyes frowned. Hayate had to know about Jail visiting Fate. She needed to know what he was up to. She needed-

Rein yelped, something suddenly enclosing around her small form and holding her in place. It was then the sprite noticed a buzzing sound nearby, surrounding her in fact. She gasped when she caught sight of a black robed assassin, the one who currently held her tightly in the palm of their hands. Blood coloured eyes regarded her calmly.

Rein couldn't even scream before things went black.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Kaa-san/Okaa-san = Mother_

_Nii-san/Onii-san = Big Brother_

_Tou-san/ Otou = Father_

_Musume = Daughter_

_Ile = No_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	20. Betrayal of the Heart

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Sorry for the delay everyone. Thanks for your patience words of encouragement. Things should be back to normal now. From now on, I'll be making better use of my profile page. Any updates relating to this story and any other upcoming stories I may have will be found on there. So, the next time a chapter will be delayed, I won't post an Author's Notes chapter in the story. If the story does not update like normal, refer to my profile page for the details._

_On a side note, holy cow! Over 100 reviews! D: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. ^^_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_[nameless reviewer] – Thanks for the comment! It's always nice to hear people are enjoying the story. Sometime in the future, I hope to increase the updates from every two weeks to weekly, but that will be some time yet. For now, know that I will continue to post every two weeks without fail. ^^_

_3 – Thanks for the review! You're not the only one who pointed out the comparison to Star Wars. Believe it or not, while I have seen those movies, I didn't realize it came out that way until someone else pointed that out. Whoops. Lol. Will Fate gather up the courage to tell Nanoha about her feelings? All I can say is keep reading my friend. XD_

_kris-tim – Thanks for your patience and understanding. Here's the next chapter for you! :3_

_I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 19: Betrayal of the Heart ~ ***

"Kuso!"

Fate ran through the streets, her sun kissed hair streaming behind her in waves of gold. The sun was high in the sky, the majority of the city folk already out and about, attending to their daily errands. There was not a cloud in sight, and the air itself had a truly refreshing taste to it. But Fate could care less about such things. Because right now she was late.

"Baka Fate! Baka!"

The flaxen haired girl continued her speedy pace towards the ever familiar Midori-ya Café. Fate and Lindy had stayed up well into the night, discussing a variety of topics including, much to Fate's horror, her love life. Fate quickly learned of her adopted mother's sadistic side. The teal haired woman was relentless in her teasings about Fate's relationship with Nanoha. And as much as she tried to explain to her adopted mother that she and Nanoha were just friends, Lindy was persistent in her belief that that was not the case. Lindy adamantly insisted both of them had feelings for each other and it was only a matter of time before they connected. Lindy preferred for it to happen sooner rather than later.

Fate would not lie. Deep down, there was the desire to one day go beyond the boundary of friendship, to become something more than just friends. Maybe it would happen one day. Fate and Nanoha were practically inseparable already, and they were _just friends_. But today would not be that day, despite her adopted mother's shameless prodding, no matter how fast the eldest Harlaown wanted things to speed up.

"Ah Fate-san. Good morning."

Fate looked up at the sound of her name, catching sight of Largo Kiel and his wife Midget Crowbel a few steps ahead of her. They were a few of Midori-ya's most frequent customers, despite being nearly one hundred years old each. They were also one of the few couples who decided to keep their own names after marriage, something not too common for their era.

"Good morning Kiel-san, Crowbel-san." Fate gave the elderly couple a bow as she rushed past them but didn't slow her pace. "It's good to see the both of you!"

The older couple merely smiled, waving at Fate's retreating back. "She's such a wonderful child," Midget said.

"That she is my dear," Largo said, watching as Fate disappeared around the next corner.

Fate pushed herself to run faster, the Midori-ya slowly coming into view up ahead.

"Running late again Fate-san?"

A blur of brown suddenly appeared in front of Fate, causing her to stumble momentarily in surprise to avoid a collision. Fate hadn't even seen the person until after they sprung from the nearest alleyway, darting in front of her.

Lotte laughed, continuing her mad dash past Fate in the opposite direction. The brunette was one of the local messengers, often delivering packages of various sizes to the merchants all over the middle district. On occasion, she was known to deliver a few meals on behalf of the Midori-ya, free of charge, in exchange for snacking on Nanoha's famous pastries. It was always hard for Fate to tell the difference between her and her twin sister Aria. They were practically identical after all. The twins usually hung around Chrono, running messages back and forth for her brother on a daily basis.

"I'm not _that_ late!" Fate huffed, cursing herself inwardly for staying up so late last night. She was supposed to meet Nanoha first thing this morning, yet it was close to lunch time at this point.

"Nanoha-san's waitin' for ya!" Lotte grinned at Fate, making her wonder if she had indeed mixed her up with Aria.

Burgundy eyes widened in surprise the moment they locked onto the package in Lotte's hand, a box that looked strikingly similar to the Midori-ya's take out boxes. But before Fate could say anything, the messenger disappeared around the corner and out of sight. Fate shook her head, pushing that thought out of her mind. There was no way Lotte was making a delivery for the Midori-ya. The Café had been closed since-

Fate skidded to a halt. "What in the…"

* * *

"Tea! The table in the back just opened up!" Subaru darted between tables with a stack of dirty dishes in her hands. The ceramics clattered noisily in her arms, something that couldn't be helped as she was rushing them to the kitchen to get a new batch for the next set of customers. Noisy as it may be, as long as she didn't drop any of them-

"Wah! Look out!"

_CRASH! _

Wine coloured eyes went wide as Subaru, arms filled with dishes, barrelled straight into Fate. The blonde had just squeezed her way past the line up already snaking out of the door of the Café, only to rush directly into the path of the navy haired server.

Subaru reluctantly opened her eyes, mentally noting that she was still upright. Her eyes quickly glanced down, relief loosening her tense muscles when she found all the dishes she held were still within her grasp and unbroken. Subaru looked up.

"Fate-san!" Subaru moved to hug the blonde, but quickly stopped as she remembered the dishes in her hand. "I didn't think you were working today."

"I'm… not," Fate said hesitantly. "At least…" Fate looked around at the packed Café. "Subaru, why is Midori-ya open?"

Navy eyebrows rose in confusion. "What do you mean why is it open?" Subaru blinked. "I thought you knew…"

Fate shook her head. "I didn't."

Subaru frowned. Both of them looked at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Subaru! I could use some help here!"

The navy haired server flinched. "Gotta run!" Subaru said before dashing off into the kitchen for some fresh dishes.

Fate took a look around the cafe one more time before reluctantly making her way into the back as well. Upon entering the kitchen, Fate found her breath taken away. There, in front of the oven, was Nanoha in all her cooking glory. A white apron covered her clothes, her brown locks of hair tied back with a white bandana. A layer of sweat ran down Nanoha's flushed cheeks, the brunette's face twisted in deep concentration as she opened the oven and pulled out a tray of freshly baked goodies. The smell of the fresh pastries made Fate's mouth water. A flush of their own also rose to Fate's cheeks. _Kami-sama…Nanoha is so_-

Fate shook her head, forcing those thoughts aside. "Nanoha."

Nanoha startled, jerking around to face Fate almost dropping her tray of steaming hot desserts. "F-F-Fate-chan!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. "You scared me!"

Fate quickly closed the distance between them, snatching the extra pair of oven mitts from the counter along the way. She soundlessly relieved Nanoha of her steaming burden and set the tray down safely on the counter before the brunette actually dropped it.

"Are you alright? I was expecting you sooner?"

Fate smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm alright. I just… slept in…"

Nanoha giggled. Fate was just adorable when she was embarrassed. "Well I'm glad everything is alright then." Nanoha reached for the unbaked set of pastries waiting nearby to be put into the oven. "Do me a favor Fate-chan and-"

"Nanoha."

Violet eyes looked into burgundy ones. "Hmm?"

Fate pursed her lips. "Why is Midori-ya open?"

Nanoha tilted her head to the side and blinked at her. It was one of the cute things the brunette did often. "What do you mean Fate-chan? Why wouldn't it be open?"

Fate frowned, not fooled by Nanoha's innocent appearance in the least bit. "Nanoha, you know what I mean."

Nanoha swallowed, her innocent façade faltering momentarily. Fate knew her all too well. That was both a blessing and curse. She could never lie to Fate.

Fate's brows furled even further when Nanoha remained quiet. She didn't like that one bit. "Nano-"

"Nanoha-san, are those orders re-" Tea froze in the doorway of the kitchen. "Am I… interrupting something?" The redhead looked hesitantly between Fate and Nanoha.

"I-Ile!" Nanoha quickly said. "Fate-chan was just about to get them ready for you. Weren't you Fate-chan?"

The façade of innocence returned, much to Fate's dismay. Gritting her teeth, she turned to face Teana with a fake smile. "Hai! Just give me a few more seconds Teana-san and you can take them."

The blonde turned her attention to the freshly baked pastries Nanoha had pulled from the oven. All of them she recognized, only requiring a simple touch here and there before they were presentable and edible. Rolling up her sleeves, Fate got to work on the counter closest to the door, with her back facing the brunette. If that's how Nanoha wanted to play it, she would follow along. For now. But only until things quieted down. Then Nanoha would have to explain the reasons behind all of this.

* * *

"Nanoha."

The said brunette cringed at the sound of her name. It had been hours since Fate came in, the mid day rush finally satiated and well on their way for the rest of the day. It was now mid afternoon, still too early before the evening rush made their way through the doors to the Midori-ya Café. Throughout those gruelling few hours, both girls wore fake smiles and danced around each other with false camaraderie. Each of them silently thought of what they would say when this moment came. But Nanoha had still yet to find her words.

"Nanoha" Fate repeated, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder. Fate frowned when she felt Nanoha flinch at the touch. "Talk to me. Please?"

Nanoha reluctantly set down the clean dish she was drying and turned to face the blonde. "What did you want to talk about Fate-chan?" She feigned ignorance.

Fate made a fist with her free hand. "Why is the Midori-ya open?"

"Nyahaha, that's a silly question Fate-chan." Nanoha shook her head smiling, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "How else will Nii-san's Kusushi's bills be paid? Silvers don't appear out of thin air and neither does the food we eat."

Fate's fist clenched tighter. "What about the Empress' proposal? We had so much fun yesterday and the Empress-"

"I'm not taking it."

Fate blinked. "What?"

Nanoha chewed on her lip, looking away from Fate. "I said I'm not taking it Fate-chan. I've already turned her down. Aria delivered my message to the palace earlier."

"W-what? Why?" Fate could not hide the shock on her face. Nor in her voice.

"This is where I belong Fate-chan" Nanoha said sadly. "My place is here."

Fate fought for words. "What… do you mean? Nanoha, if you become the Empress' Shefu, you wouldn't have to worry about Kusushi bills anymore. Or working so hard for so little pay-"

"Fate-chan." Nanoha cut Fate off with the shake of her head.

The blonde looked at Nanoha in confusion. "I don't understand Nanoha. I just… please explain this to me."

Nanoha gritted her teeth. Fate looked so confused, hurt and betrayed. The beginnings of tears formed in the corners of Nanoha's eyes, a lump forming in her throat. But Nanoha would not break down here. She had to be strong. For Kyouya. For Miyuki.

"Is this what you truly want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want," Nanoha replied, a heart breaking smile forming on her lips. "I am needed here. Nii-san-"

"Did Kyouya-san say something to you?" Fate grabbed Nanoha's wrist, holding it tightly.

Nanoha swallowed nervously. She hadn't even seen when the blonde grabbed her wrist, only feeling it when she was pulled closer to Fate.

"Did he-"

"Fate-cha-"

"He said something. Didn't he?" Fate was livid. This was clearly not what Nanoha wanted. Fate could tell. She could see it in Nanoha's eyes. Misery. She didn't want to be here. Doing this. Which meant Kyouya must have said something. He must have.

"Fate-ch-"

"What did he say Nanoha?"

Fate didn't know the older Takamachi too well. Usually when Fate came over to meet with Nanoha, he'd be at the Takamachi dojo training students. And of the times she did see him when visiting the Café, all they ever shared were casual greetings and a few awkward smiles. Fate was still rather shy, and felt uncomfortable around those she didn't know so well. But to think that he would hold Nanoha here against her will, that was just-

"Fate-chan, he didn't-"

"Did he hit you?"

"What? Ile! Fate-chan, please just listen-"

"Nanoha, if he hurt you-"

"Fate-chan, that hurts."

"What did he say to you Nanoha? Tell me!"

"Fate-ch-"

"Stop protecting him!"

_SLAP!_

Fate stumbled back a few steps, a hand on her reddening cheek. Wine coloured eyes were wide in disbelief. Nanoha clutched her reddening palm to her chest, her head bowed and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Na…noha…?"

"This is where I belong Fate" Nanoha said with a shaky voice. "I don't know how to convince you of that, but it's true. Nii-san didn't have to tell me that. I already knew." Nanoha shuddered, doing her best to suppress a sob.

"Nanoha…" Fate took a step forward.

"Ile Fate!" Nanoha took a step backwards. "Ile…" she shook her head. "I don't belong there. I don't deserve to be Shefu. Why do I get to be happy when everyone else is not?"

_What? _Fate was flabbergasted. This was not what she was expecting.

"My memories are here Fate-chan. My family is here. I grew up here." Tearful violet eyes looked up. "This is where I belong. This is all I have left now that Okaa-san and Otou-san are gone. The dojo is gone. Nii-san and Nee-san…" Nanoha sobbed, a hand covering her eyes in the feeble attempt to stop the tears from falling. "This is where I belong. I can't just leave it all."

"I'm so sorry Nanoha." Fate wrapped her arms around Nanoha tightly, allowing the brunette to cry into her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Tears escaped from Fate's eyes, the blonde biting her lip to stop herself from sobbing too. "I'm so sorry."

Subaru made a fist. Her entire body shook with a rage that burned deep inside. Green eyes shut tightly as she gritted her teeth. Subaru had been on her way to the kitchen to get some clean dishes, only stopping just out of sight near the door at the sound of Fate and Nanoha's voices. She had half a mind to just rush in and rush out, but then the conversation started going downhill and the navy server couldn't but stand frozen listening to it.

Subaru was so angry! How could Nanoha blame herself for everything like that? It wasn't her fault! A tear rolled down Subaru's cheek. She jumped when she felt something brush her tear away. Green eyes snapped open to find a tearful looking Teana standing next to her. Her fellow server offered her a sad smile, Teana wrapping an arm around her shoulders before looking back to the kitchen door.

Subaru's fist clenched tighter. Nanoha would never get the retribution for the deaths of her parents and the wrongs done to her brother and sister. Not with how things were going now. The City Guard and Samurais simply couldn't keep up. There were just too many petty criminals out there getting their grubby hands on Spirit Seeds. If only there was a way!

Subaru blinked.

A way to help…

Subaru's gaze moved to the kitchen door once again. Yes, there was a way to help. It was risky, but well worth it if it meant no one else like Nanoha would get hurt again. And by the gods, Subaru vowed that Nanoha would never get hurt again. Not while she was around!

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Phew, this was a tough chapter to write. I was getting all teary eyed writing the conversation between Fate and Nanoha at the end, my own heart aching painfully. Wow._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Kuso = Damnit_

_Baka = Idiot_

_Ile = No_

_Hai = Yes_

_Otou-san = Father_

_Kaa-san/Okaa-san = Mother_

_Nii-san/Onii-san = Big Brother_

_Nee-san/Onee-san = Big Sister_

_Kusushi = Doctor_

_Shefu = Chef_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	21. Flash of Lightning

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. _

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_kris-tim – Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. ^^ I read all of my reader's reviews and always try my best to reply back to them. :) I agree with you, when Fate and Nanoha are together, they're just so cute together. ^^ Here's the next chapter for you. I think I'll have some people squealing at how it ends. lol._

_3 – Thanks for your comment. :) One of the things I'm a stickler about is posting regularly. At some point, I do hope to post for this story on a weekly basis, but currently I just have too many things going on at the moment for that to happen. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I too get emotional at times with the characters, even if I'm just proof reading my own stories. Lol! Anyhow, the next chapter is here! I think you'll like this one. Hehe. Thanks again. _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 20: Flash of Lightning ~ ***

Midnight. Middle District.

A blur of black and blue zipped across the rooftops. The full moon was high in the sky, highlighting the fast moving form as they leapt from building rooftop to building rooftop, continuing their patrol along the outer edges of the middle district. The night had been quiet so far, but the blur knew things wouldn't always be this easy.

A scream.

The black and blue clad assassin skidded to a halt, head snapping towards the direction of the scream. Green eyes narrowed. Another scream sounded soon afterwards, the assassin springing into action, immediately darting over to the source of the disturbance. Six rooftops later, the darkly clad assassin found what they were looking for.

Down below was an alleyway which ended in a dead end. There a young couple cowered against the back wall, a group of three sloppily dressed thieves slowly approaching them from the front brandishing knives.

"Gives us your money _and_ your woman, and we'll be on our way," said one of the thieves. The man, dressed in brown garments with frayed edges licked his lips lecherously. He wore a sleeveless top with matching pants, scoffed leather boots and a dirty white rag tying up his greasy black hair.

Green eyes rolled.

"S-stay back you thugs!" the cowering man of the couple said. While he made a feeble attempt to shield his girlfriend behind him with his body, he shook worse than a leaf tumbling in the wind.

The thieves laughed. "S-s-s-stay back!" one of them mocked the man. "D-d-don't hurt us!" They laughed again.

_THUD!_

The thieves' eyes went wide.

"You heard the man. Back. Off."

The black and blue assassin now stood in front of the cowering couple, the lead thief now lying face down in the dirt at the assassin's feet. The lead thief's companions gawked at the assassin, their slow minds still trying to process what had just happened. The assassin smirked.

"You two, get out of here." The assassin glanced back over their shoulder at the couple. "And don't be out by yourselves this late at night again."

"T-t-t-thank you!"

The couple ran for their very lives, vowing to never again be caught outside so late at night. The remaining two thieves snapped out of their stupor, both of them turning towards the escaping couple.

A roar.

One of the two thieves went flying to the sound of a startled yelp. The man flipped head over heels in the air, landing hard on the ground on his face moments later. The second of the thieves now lay limply in the dirt almost ten feet away. The third and last conscious thief turned back to the assassin, jaw slack.

"Didn't I tell you? Back off." The black and blue assassin retracted their outstretched armored fist and settled into a wide stance. Fists were held up in front of them, boxing style.

Getting his wits about him, the final thief charged the assassin with a guttural growl. A split second before his blade sliced into the assassin's neck, the assassin dodged a step to the left bringing up their right knee. The air was literally knocked out of the thief's lungs as the assassin's knee connected with his stomach. Stumbling backwards a few steps, the thief barely had enough time to register movement before a metal clad fist connected with his cheek, sending him crashing into the closest wall with a sickening crack. His body slithered to the ground soundlessly before falling still.

The assassin grimaced. "Maybe I put too much strength into that one…" The assassin sighed staring at the thief.

A blast of white sent the assassin crashing to the ground a second later, despite the assassin dodging to the side. An invisible force had clipped them in them shoulder with the strength of a charging bull. Their whole body felt as if it was on fire. Luckily for the assassin, they had dodged the main part of the attack out of pure reflex. Had they been caught in the full blast, they would have been dead. The assassin struggled to right themselves, despite their blurred vision and pounding head.

"You piece of trash!" said a voice behind them.

The assassin managed to get to their hands and knees, swaying unsteadily as they turned to look back. The first thief was on his feet again, a pulsing blue magatama jewel in his shaking, outstretched hand.

"I don't know what rock you crawled out from under, but you're going to pay for that!"

Another explosion of white.

The assassin rolled to the right in time, just narrowly missing the second beam of magic. Even so, the magical essence left in its wake made the assassin's skin tingle with pin pricks. The assassin groaned, staggering to their feet despite the feeling of nausea slowly clawing its way up their throat. Their shoulder burned and their limbs felt like lead. But as much as the assassin wanted to lie down to let the worst of this pass, they could not. That would mean certain death. So instead, they held their head in one hand and lowered themselves into a wide but shaky stance.

"That all ya got?" The assassin's words came out slurred.

"Why you little-"

_THWOP!_

The blue magatama jewel clattered to the ground with a loud chime before it stopped glowing and fell silent. Green eyes blinked in confusion. Then the assassin's gaze landed on the arrow protruding from the thief's hand, the one originally holding the Spirit Seed in the first place. It took the thief a whole three seconds before he screamed, finally realizing his hand was impaled with a shaft of wood. The assassin flinched at the sound, the scream reverberating in their ears making their throbbing head worse.

A whoosh of air.

The thief dropped to the ground with an arrow in his shoulder.

Soon after, a blur of white and red dropped from the roof nearest to the newly fallen thief. Walking over to the impaled man, a white and red clad assassin stooped down and ripped the arrows from the man's body. Wiping them off on the thief's clothing, the new assassin put their arrows back in the quiver strapped to their back. In their hand was an intricately craved ivory bow.

"T-Tea?"

Blue eyes darted over to the assassin in black and blue before widening. "S-Subaru?" Teana would recognize that Taijutsu stance anywhere. "What are you doing here?"

"So it is you…" Subaru said slumping to her knees and falling forward.

"Subaru!" Teana dashed over to Subaru, catching her friend before she face planted on the ground. "Kami-sama! What did you do to yourself!"

Subaru's head lolled against Teana's shoulder. "I was jus' trying... ta help this couple from those guys..." Subaru murmured. "And then this white light…" She weakly grasped Teana's garb.

Teana looked down at her pocket, the place she had shoved the thief's magatama jewel before rushing over to Subaru. Her eyes went wide. "He shot you!"

Subaru chuckled, her glazing eyes landing on the Teana's bound red forearms. "I'll be okay..." she said, her voice growing softer. "Jus' need a nap and I'll be fine..."

"No! No! No Subaru! No napping right now! We need to get you someplace safe first!" Teana inwardly cursed. She slung the half conscious assassin's arm around her shoulders, snaking her free arm around Subaru's waist. With a mighty heave, she dragged Subaru to her feet. With her bow safely slung on her back, she proceeded to drag a stumbling half conscious Subaru away from the scene of the previous battle.

"What are ya doin' out here Teeeeaaaaa? Ya should be sleepin.'" Subaru giggled, leaning into Teana causing her to stumble at the sudden increase in weight.

"Baka!" Teana grunted. "That's something I should be asking you! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Subaru's words were slurring, a very bad sign.

Subaru's head fell forward, the brawler remaining surprisingly quiet. Teana started to panic. "Subaru? Oye! Subaru!" She shook Subaru.

"Nanoha…" Subaru murmured.

"Eh?" Teana stopped walking. She peered down at her friend.

"Nanoha was cryin' earlier," Subaru said. Green eyes held fresh tears. "I didn't want... ta see Nanoha cry again..." Subaru's voice was but a whisper now. "The samurai can't watch over everywhere all the time. So I came ta help them."

Teana frowned. "Baka," she said but the word held no malice. That was the same reason she was out here as well. To make sure no one else would have to go through what Nanoha did. But thinking about it now, what could she or Subaru do against Spirit Seeds? Had Teana thoroughly thought things through, she would have realized how foolish this idea was. But she had to do something. And she knew Subaru felt the same way. Both of them couldn't sit idle while people continued to get hurt. They started to walk forward again.

"Did ya kill 'im?"

"Huh?"

Green eyes looked up into blue. "That guy back there," Subaru clarified. "Did ya kill 'im?"

Teana shook her head. "My arrows are tipped with Chloro Root paste. He's just sleeping."

"Ah…" was all Subaru said. Her head lolled forward again.

"Well isn't this an interesting sight."

Teana froze, going absolutely rigid at the sound of this new voice. A flash of metal caught her eye, her gaze going upwards to the closest building rooftop. There she found a blue clad assassin brandishing a large boomerang shaped weapon. On their back was the assassin's clan insignia. It was a white circle with a navy blue border. Inside the circle had the symbol 'VII'.

"I came looking for a Spirit Seed and here I find… you two…" The blue clad assassin tilted her head to the side, regarding the pair before her, curiously. "Something about you two feels… unlike any other assassin I've run into so far tonight. Why is that?"

Teana gritted her teeth, slowly lowering Subaru to sit on the ground next to her. She failed to notice the soft chime from her hidden orange magatama keychain under her white garb. The midnight blue magatama pendant which hung hidden around Subaru's neck also chimed softly.

"Tea?" Subaru gazed dazedly up at her friend.

"Just stay put Subaru. And don't dare do anything stupid, alright?" Teana drew her bow from her back, pulling back an arrow taut against its string.

Rose coloured eyes narrowed at the assassin in white. "And what do you plan to do with that?" The blue clad assassin raised an eyebrow.

Teana narrowed her eyes at the assassin. "Here, let me show you!"

Teana's arrow whistled through the air, straight at the assassin in blue. In a flash of movement, the wooden shaft shattered into hair-like splinters. Teana's eyes widened as the blue clad assassin twirled her boomerang in front of her like a scimitar.

"The strength and aim of your shot is commendable," the blue assassin said.

Teana flinched when the assassin in blue suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"But I am far above your level."

Teana went flying backwards into the air, the blunt side of the boomerang smacking her hard in the ribs. She crashed to the ground hard on her back, black spots blotting her vision as she wheezed.

"Tea!"

_CLANK!_

The blue assassin was caught off guard by Subaru's strength laced jab. For someone seemingly incapacitated, the girl sure hit hard. The blue clad assassin skidded backwards on her heels a few feet, her boomerang held up defensively in front of her. Subaru stood protectively in front of Teana, fists raised. Her stance swayed a bit, but Subaru's green eyes held a fury unlike any the blue assassin had ever seen.

Subaru charged the assassin in blue, a feral growl escaping her lips as her right gauntlet clad fist shot forward with an incredible speed. The blue assassin brought up her boomerang just in time to block the shot again, but was thrown off balance by the blow which left a dent in her weapon. But before Subaru could land another punch, metal connected with her chin, the boomerang clipping her in the face, sending her reeling backwards head first.

"SUBARU!"

Teana watched in horror as Subaru not only defended her, but ended up taking a blow for her too. Subaru hit the ground with an audible thud and lay still. She groaned.

"_Kisama!_"

The blue assassin ducked to the right, just narrowly missing an arrow aimed for her head. The arrowhead grazed her cheek however, drawing a fine line of blood, much to the blue assassin's shock. She had not expected the assassin in white to recover so quickly. Nor did she expect the arrow to fly at her with such speed or force. The fact that she saw it at all was a miracle.

Rising quickly to her feet, the blue clad assassin stumbled a few steps to maintain her upright position. Dizziness suddenly gripped her, bewildering her. She had yet to tap into her inherent abilities, so it was impossible for her to feel this drained already. What was the cause of this? The blue assassin shook her head, but that did little to clear it. A soft _thwop_caught her ear and she just barely dodged to the side to avoid another arrow. She staggered in her stance, the dizziness getting worse as her vision started to swim.

"You'll pay for that!" Teana was on her feet now, protectively standing in front of the fallen Subaru. She shot her arrows in rapid fire at the assassin in blue. Much to her frustration, the assassin dodged them all despite the Chloro Root paste slowing down the assassin's movements ever so slightly.

Things had dragged on longer than the blue assassin had anticipated. She had underestimated these assassin wannabes, an error which she would correct right now. Dodging the latest volley of arrows, the blue assassin let loose her boomerang with precision accuracy. Teana barely dodged her bladed weapon by a hair's breadth, falling back on her romp in the process. Her boomerang quickly returned to her, the blue assassin wasting no time whipping it at Teana again.

The archer barely brought up her bow in time to deflect the bladed boomerang away. But her bow could not withstand the force of the blow, snapping into two with the bladed boomerang clipping her in the shoulder. Teana cried out, clutching at her shoulder as a burning pain ripped through the joint, red oozing from between her fingers.

The blue assassin smirked, bringing the blade weapon up to her lips the moment it returned to her, licking off the blood at the tip where it had pierced Teana's shoulder. The haze in her mind was finally receding. The blue assassin was no longer under the throws of dizziness.

"You put up a good fight," the blue clad assassin said. "Better than most. But this is the end. I shall remember you both."

The blue assassin flung her arm forward, her boomerang rocketing into the air like a bullet towards Teana and Subaru. Teana twisted and dove for Subaru behind her, covering her with as much of her body as she could.

"**Sonic Move!"**

_CLANK!_

Teana jolted when the bladed boomerang clattered to the ground mere feet away from her face. She dared a glance back at the blue clad assassin. Her eyes went wide when she found her gaze blocked by the back of another assassin, this one dressed in black with arms and shins bound in red. On their back was their clan insignia, a bolt of lightning. But what really held Teana's attention was the weapon this new assassin held. A wicked looking onyx scythe with a blade made purely of lightning…

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I made up Chloro Root paste, based on Chloroform which is known to put people to sleep by inhaling the vapors._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Kami = God_

_Baka = Idiot_

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	22. Chance Meeting

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. _

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_kris-tim – Thanks for the review. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. ^^ I think Subaru and Tea make a cute ninja pair, don't you? XD As for Fate, hehehe. Isn't she full of surprises. XD Question though. You sure that black assassin is Fate? XD There will be more nanofate coming up, don't you worry. As for Hayate and if Carim will make an appearence too, you'll just have to wait and see. ;) _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 21: Chance Meeting ~ ***

"Erio-kun?" A weak question.

"Shh Caro, go back to sleep." A gloved hand ran through sweaty pink locks of hair.

"Alright…" Caro murmured, already falling into a deep yet troubled sleep.

A mewl.

"I'll be right back, Friedrich," the red head said. He patted the silver baby dragon on the head. "Watch over Caro for me until I get back."

The little dragon looked down at its master, before looking up at Erio again. But by then, the boy was gone, seeking out the sounds of battle that shattered the quiet air not too far away.

* * *

Teana watched in complete awe, the pain in her shoulder forgotten, as the black garbed assassin traded blow for blow with the blue garbed assassin. Neither of them showed any signs of relenting, weapons clashing over and over again to the loud clank of metal on metal. All throughout, Teana stared at the scythe-like weapon wielded by the black assassin.

The shaft of the scythe seemed to be made of either platinum or silver, accented with onyx at the bottom tip. The joint shaft connected to the casing for the lightning blade was also made of onyx. But while that was impressive in itself, the most impressive part of it was the fist size golden magatama jewel rotating slowly in the weapon, at the point where the shaft met the blade. The weapon was unlike any Teana had ever seen before.

"**Photon Lancer."**

The assassin in black leaped into the air, somersaulting backwards as the assassin in blue swung her boomerang weapon at them like a sword. The boomerang blade just missed the black assassin, much to the blue assassin's frustration. The black clad assassin landed in a crouch, mere feet separating the fighters. Rose coloured eyes widened at the sight of four yellow orbs, of what appeared to be condensed lightning, materializing around the assassin in black.

A whisper. "Shoot."

The blue assassin flipped backwards, just narrowly missing the projectiles zipping towards her. She hissed, when one of the orbs clipped her shoulder sending her whole body in spasms, leaving a nasty burn. The other orbs exploded around her out of harms way.

The black assassin winced, noting the damage their stray shots made to the surrounding area. The City Guard Captain would not appreciate this. Nor would the Captain of the Samurai.

A roar.

Wine coloured eyes snapped back to the assassin in blue, who staggered backwards stiffly clutching their shoulder. Fushia coloured eyes glared at the assassin in black, the assassin in blue gripping her boomerang tightly in her free hand. Soon the boomerang blurred black, before one blade became two, and then three, and then four.

Teana blinked, rubbing her eyes for good measure. Was she seeing things? She could have sworn she saw the boomerang blade multiply into four blades. Was this some sort of illusionary technique? Teana may not have known what that technique was, but the black clad assassin did. The Shadow Technique.

With a mighty heave, all four boomerang blades were hurtled at the assassin in black. The assassin in blue grinned as her blades spiralled left and right in haphazard arcs towards her opponent. It was nearly impossible to calculate their trajectories at that rate, each blade acting on their own.

"**Sonic Move."**

The blue assassin watched incredulously as each of her four blades seemingly passed right through the assassin in black leaving them unharmed. Though if one could slow down time, they would realize that was not the case. As skilled as the black assassin was, even they could not change the density of their body to allow objects to pass through them unhindered. Their trick was to dodge the attacks and return to their original position faster than the blink of the eye, making it appear as if the blades went straight through them. Burgundy coloured eyes watched the blue assassin in amusement.

The blue assassin growled. This would be the last time she would be made a fool of! The startling chime from the onyx scythe alarmed its wielder, the black assassin quickly searching for the stray boomerang blades. Wine coloured eyes widened to see the blades now glowing an almost deep pink colour, each one of them arcing back around towards them at an even faster speed.

"**Thunder Arm!"**

The black assassin raised their left arm in front of them, just in time to deflect the first magically enhanced blade away. The impact from the weapon, despite their thunder barrier, sent the black assassin stumbling back a few steps, arm shaking from the blow.

As the second blade closed in, the assassin in black just barely managed to dodge out of the way, missing the slicing edge by a hair's breadth.

"**Scythe Slash!"**

Thunder rumbled through the area as an explosion kicked up a cloud of dust into the air in the immediate area. Erio coughed and choked in the nearby alley, where he watched the fight progress. Once the dust cleared, he was startled to see the black assassin still standing, the remaining bits of the last two boomerang blades nothing but shrapnel at their feet. He gritted his teeth.

Teana's jaw would have hit the ground had it not been attached to her face. She was having trouble as is keeping up with just watching how the fight unfolded before her. But that last move the black assassin made was just… wow. All she saw was the pink pulsing boomerang blades swerving towards the black assassin, and just as the blades hit, there was a flash of light, and an explosion. Teana scrambled to cover an unconscious Subaru with her body as the dust swirled around them. When the dust settled and she looked back, Teana couldn't but gawk at the unharmed black assassin, their scythe still crackling with lightning. Just who were these people?

Wine coloured eyes narrowed at the blue assassin. Rose coloured eyes narrowed back. The blue assassin snatched her returning boomerang blades from the air, gritting her teeth. This battle was taking too long. Half of the City Guard, if not the Samurai, would now be on their way to investigate the ruckus. Her lord would not be pleased about that. But while she knew a hasty retreat was her best option right now, it was very doubtful the black assassin would just let her go on her merry way. She needed-

The scuffling of feet.

A grin stretched across the blue assassin's face, though hidden under her mask. The black assassin tensed once they saw her pull back her arm to throw her blades. But rather than throw it directly at them, the boomerang blade went veering off to the side at-

A breath caught in Erio's throat. The redhead had finally seen enough of the battle and was on his way back to Caro when he stumbled on a patch of uneven ground. A fatal mistake on his part for now one of those crazy boomerang blades hurtled towards him ready to take off his head! There was a blur of black, the assassin in black diving in front of him, narrowly deflecting the blade away from them both. Déjà vu hit the redhead like a ton of bricks. Breathing heavily, the assassin in black turned to look at him, relief in those scarlet coloured eyes of theirs. Erio couldn't but stare.

"Why did you-"

"Look out!"

Teana cried out in warning, but it was too little too late. The assassin in blue had already sent her last boomerang blade at the assassin in black, whose focus was elsewhere at the time. She watched in horror as the black assassin turned back in time as-

"**Barrel Shot."**

The assassin in blue yelped, suddenly finding herself bound where she stood. The shadow boomerang blade hurtling towards the black assassin disappeared just a split second before impaling them, as the shadow technique relied on the wielder's concentration. Rose coloured eyes looked up in horror, at the slowly growing pink light originally hidden by the glare of the moon.

"Shoot."

A beam of pure pink magic tore through the air at the assassin in blue. She screamed.

_BOOM!_

An explosion rocked the area.

"Sette, we're leaving."

"T-Tre." Sette stared wide eyed at her sister, her mind momentarily fuzzy from the magical blast. "You're hurt!"

Tre grimaced, but said nothing. She ignored the stinging pulse in her bloody side. It wasn't easy breaking her sister out of that magical bind, at the same time outmanoeuvring the blast of magic that would have surely incapacitated both. Thankfully, Tre specialized in speed and her Ride Impulse ability was second to none.

"Our Lord is waiting for us," Tre said, cringing slightly as she felt Sette tentatively apply pressure to her wounded side.

"H-hai…" was all Sette said.

* * *

The assassin in white landed on the ground, brows furled in annoyance. Their target had escaped. Violet coloured eyes darted left, giving the assassin in black a once over. Their gaze fell upon their onyx scythe, specifically the fist sized golden magatama jewel floating in the middle of it. The scythe chimed softly, as did the white assassin's staff.

The black assassin stared wide eyed at the white assassin. It was him! The black assassin was absolutely floored. Never did they expect to see him again. Then again, it shouldn't have been a surprise considering what had been happening lately. The black assassin shivered slightly, under the cold and calculating gaze of the white assassin. This caused the white assassin to raise an eyebrow. Clearly that was not something they anticipated. Without thinking, the black assassin stepped forward and opened their mouth to speak. But they immediately froze the moment the white staff was pointed at them, the white assassin looking at them cautiously.

A groan.

"Subaru!"

Both assassins turned to the pair they had forgotten was even there. A quick glance behind let the black assassin know that Erio was gone. Perhaps it was better this way.

Subaru groaned again, her hands weakly grasping the closest thing to her, that being Teana's white garb. "Tea…" she murmured weakly, barely opening her eyes.

Teana held her companion gently in her arms. "Baka!" she scolded softly. "What were you thinking, blocking that shot for me!" The pain in her shoulder return, the wound no longer bleeding profusely, but nevertheless sore.

Burgundy and violet coloured eyes widened in realization.

Subaru gave a weak chuckle. "I had to… make sure…" she mumbled. Her eyes closed again.

"Subaru?" Teana shook her friend. "Subaru!"

Both the black and white assassin moved to assist the pair only to jerk away from the scene at the sound of booted feet pounding on the stone road.

"In the name of the Empress, you will drop your weapons and surrender!" Signum gritted her teeth, eyes narrowed at the assassin in white. Her gaze quickly darted over to the assassin in black, noting their weapon as well. Raising Levantine at the assassin in white, she spoke again. "Come peacefully and none of you will be harmed."

The black and white assassins quickly glanced at each other and then at the contingent of samurais surrounding them. They were surrounded on all sides. From every alleyway and rooftop and roadway around them, there were samurai. At least thirty in all if not more. Signum had come prepared.

The black assassin locked eyes with the white assassin once more. They tilted their head slightly towards Subaru and Teana, while their eyes momentarily darted to Signum. Seeming of the same mind, the white assassin understood the black assassin's intentions. They had to disappear. All of them. They could not get caught here.

The white assassin shouldn't, in truth, trust the black assassin. This was another dangerous person, like them, their unusual weapon proof of that fact. But the black assassin defended the boy earlier, something that didn't go unnoticed by the white assassin. What kind of bad guy did that? So for the time being, they would trust each other. Little did they realize, they had more in common with each other than they knew.

"**Axel Shooter."**

Before Signum or any of the samurai could react, the assassin in white raised their staff to the sky and let loose a bombardment of pink magic. Bolts of pink energy rained down from the sky, exploding in front of each and every samurai, knocking some of them off their feet while blinding everyone else with the mini explosion.

The white assassin turned their head back in time to see the black assassin stooping next to Teana and Subaru, a triangular seal of magic already spinning underneath them on the ground. When burgundy eyes locked on violet, the black assassin bowed their head before all three of them disappeared in the flash of the Dimensional Transfer.

Getting her wits about her, Signum charged into the cloud of dust kicked up from white assassin's attack, swinging Levantine blindly. Her sword only met air and when the dust settled, the area was empty save for her and her contingent of samurai. The Captain of the Samurai growled in frustration. Her quarry had escaped yet again.

* * *

"Subaru!" Teana sat up with a yell.

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, blood pounding loudly in her ears. Blue eyes searched the darkness for a familiar form with short navy hair and emerald coloured eyes. She immediately grabbed her shoulder, which burned in pain, only to realize that she currently wore a sleeveless vest. Her shoulder was already wrapped in bandages. "What-"

A giggle. "That was so cool…" A murmur.

Teana spun around to find Subaru, in bed, curled up next to her. A damp cloth rested on her friend's forehead, Subaru babbling nonsense as she slept. Teana blinked. They were home. How did they get home? The last thing she remembered was the black assassin next to her, a flash of light and then… and then…

Blue eyes went wide. Scrambling off the bed, Teana searched her pants pockets. Her pockets were empty. Moon light streamed through the window, falling upon the small table next to the bed. Teana caught sight of her broken bow on the table, along with a note marked with finely written script. Four lines of text marked the parchment.

_A__ kusushi will pass by in the morning to check on you. _

_I have relieved you of your Spirit Seed as payment. _

_Stay out of trouble. _

_I won't be around the next time._

Teana crumpled the note in her fist, tossing it to the ground. Her eyes softened when they looked over to the form in bed.

"Tea…" Subaru murmured.

* * *

After dropping Subaru and Teana home, ensuring they were no worse for wear, the black assassin stalked towards the imperial palace. With the samurai practically in uproar about the incident in the middle district an hour ago, no one would notice a blur sneaking into a certain blonde attendant's room to drop off a quick message about visiting some battered cafe servers in the morning. And now that the message had been dropped off, the black assassin made their way back home for a night of sleep. But only after dropping by a certain café to check up on certain someone.

Fingers clenched tightly around the shaft of their scythe. A blur of white zipped towards the Midori-ya Café from the opposite direction and ducked inside a window on the other side of the second floor. _Nanoha!_

Throwing caution to the wind, the assassin in black jumped rooftop to rooftop before landing on the Midori-ya rooftop as quietly as they could. What business the white assassin had here, in the middle of the night no less, caused great alarm in the black assassin. Were they hired by those who hurt Kyouya and Miyuki to finish the job? Were they here to hurt Nanoha?

Anxiety swelled inside the black assassin as they followed the same path the white assassin took to enter into the Takamachi residence. Climbing through the partially ajar window, the black assassin found themselves in Miyuki's room. Gulping back the lump in their throat, the black assassin crept past Miyuki's belongings and quietly slid open the paper door leading out into the hallway.

Peeking into Kyouya's room and seeing noticing amiss, the black assassin continued their way down the hallway soundlessly. The bathroom and storage closet was also clear which left only one more room to investigate. Light spilled into the hallway, through the partially ajar paper door to Nanoha's room. The sound of a grunt and the rough shuffling of clothes sent the black assassin speeding down the hallway with their scythe raised.

Upon peeking through the space between the door and the frame, a breath caught in the black assassin's throat. There, in the middle of the room stood Nanoha, the girl's back to the door. She was half undressed. Heat rose to the black assassin's cheeks, wine coloured eyes slowly gliding down the creamy flesh of Nanoha's back. Nanoha was brushing her hair, every so often tugging roughly at a particularly stubborn bunch of knots. The white material draped around her waist slowly drooped lower in the motion as Nanoha tried to wrench the hairbrush free. The black assassin unconsciously leaned forward, just as the the clothing around Nanoha's waist slowly slid down her hips. A loud creak erupted from the wood under the black assassin's front foot, from the sudden shift in weight.

Nanoha flinched at the sound, dropping her hairbrush and covering her bare chest with her arm. "N-Nii-san?"

When she received no reply, Nanoha reluctantly turned around, walked up to her bedroom door, and pulled it open peering into the hallway. The black assassin was long gone by then, Nanoha seeing only an empty hallway. Raging Heart, hanging around the Nanoha's neck in its dormant form, chimed softly at the departure of its golden counterpart.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ The Shadow Technique mentioned in this chapter is similar to the Shadow Cloning technique in the anime Naruto. _

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Baka = Idiot_

_Kusushi = Doctor_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	23. Have You Tried?

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. _

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_kris-tim - Thanks for the review! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. ^^ Don't worry, you will see something about Hayate and Carim in later chapters. As for if Fate and Nanoha will figure out each other's ninja identities, you'll just have to wait and see. XD Thanks again._

_unknown - Thanks for your review! You're very kind. ^^ I'm glad you like the story. At some point, when I eventually get my life back in order, I do hope to bump up the posting schedule to a weekly thing. For now however, it will be updated every two weeks. Until then, enjoy this chapter! ^^_

_3 - Thanks for the comment! As an author, it's always awesome to hear that the readers are enjoying the story. As for what happens between Fate and Nanoha after that, read on. ;) In terms of them not recognizing each other as ninjas, it's rather simple really. The last people they expect to see being ninjas is each other. So while they may have similarly (or in this case perfectly) coloured eyes to their best friends, everything else is completely covered up, leaving them unable to really recognize each other. Hehe. I'm sure they'll figure things out eventually... maybe... lol. _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 22: Have You Tried? ~ ***

"Kuso!"

A scroll of parchment slammed onto the floor.

"Taichou-"

"Dismissed Taii-san."

Fury filled blue eyes.

"H-hai…"

A salute.

Weeks had passed since that fateful encounter with the two legendary weapon wielders. Since that time, their appearances grew more and more frequent, clashes between the samurai, lesser assassins and them becoming a sort of a nightly ritual now. They had since been dubbed Stars and Lightning, as a means of identifying them based on their clan insignias. Though, with the increasing ferocity of the fights as of late, the two legendary weapon wielders had earned more fitting nicknames. The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper.

A growl.

Reports went flying.

No matter what Signum did, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper always evaded her. The pink haired samurai couldn't tell if they were working together or were just coincidentally ending up in the same place at the same time. Whatever the case was, their intents were clear. They were after the Spirit Seeds. As was another clan, dubbed the Numbers, who recently came to light. Every night it became a three way battle between those forces, with the Samurai and the City Guard merely observers to the vicious fray. Signum was at her wits end on how to solve this now terrifying problem.

"KUSO!"

_CRACK!_

The Captain of the Samurai released a pained breath, ripping her bruised and bloodied fist from the crater she had made in her desk. Blue eyes narrowed, watching as liquid crimson ran down her fingers and splashed on the floor. Shamal would not be happy about this.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to still the anger swirling within, Signum cradled her injured fist in her other hand, pushing open the door to her office with her shoulder. Striding down the large hallways of the imperial palace, Signum went in search of a familiar short haired blonde in green robes.

* * *

"Takamachi-san?"

Nanoha jumped at the sound of her name, whirling around to face the owner of the voice. "S-Signum-sama!"

Signum frowned at the hoarseness in the brunette's voice. Nanoha's usually melodic tone was now a scratchy rasp. Before Signum could ask Nanoha about it, the younger girl broke out in a coughing fit, a hand immediately clamped over her mouth to stifle it.

"Takamachi-san!" Injured hand forgotten, the Captain of the Samurai immediately reached out to Nanoha only to be stopped by Nanoha's dismissive wave as the worst of her coughing fit passed.

"I-I'm alright," Nanoha rasped, sucking in a sharp breath. "Just a cold."

Signum breathed in relief. It had been weeks since the messenger arrived at the palace informing Hayate of Nanoha's decision to decline her offer. Nanoha, of course, had not known Hayate was the Empress. For if she did, the reply may have turned out differently.

Hayate, and especially Signum, was disappointed with the answer, but the Empress urged Signum not to look badly upon Nanoha because of it. The youngest Takamachi had been through quite a lot lately, a fact that Signum knew all too well. The brunette didn't smile as often as she used to, often having a solemn expression when she thought people didn't see. So to see her now, in high spirits, Signum was happy. They could always propose to Nanoha again, once things had settled down a bit.

"Signum-sama!" Violet eyes went wide. "Your hand!"

Signum blinked. In her haste to ensure Nanoha's well being, she had reached out to the girl with her injured hand. A hand that was still stained crimson and dripping red. But before Signum could react, Nanoha latched onto the captain's wrist and dragged her inside the imperial infirmary.

This was one of the few days Nanoha took off, closing Midori-ya so she could visit Miyuki in the imperial palace. However, being sick at the moment (of which Nanoha blamed on that rainy night, two nights ago), Nanoha felt it best not to get too close to her comatosed sister in the event she passed on her ailment to Miyuki.

The brunette led Signum over to the closest bed to the door. "Sit," was all Nanoha said once releasing the Captain of the Samurai.

"Taka-"

"_Signum-sama_."

The pink haired samurai immediately complied, unconsciously noting how frightfully similar Nanoha was to Shamal in that tone of voice. It was rather… disturbing…

Satisfied Signum would not go anywhere, Nanoha wandered off to the side behind a curtained wall on the left side of the room. There was some scuffling noises and a splash before Nanoha reemerged from behind the white curtain with a basin of water and a towel draped over her shoulder. A few strips of clean bandages hung from her arm also.

Setting the basin of warm water next to Signum on the bed, Nanoha expertly tugged off Signum's gauntlet with surprising ease and deft hands. The samurai raised an eyebrow at that, Nanoha giggling at the expression. "Surprised?" she said in a soft, rough voice.

Signum nodded.

Nanoha smiled, turning her attention to Signum's injured hand. "Otou-san and Nii-san often came home injured after training with each other," Nanoha explained.

Signum bit her lip, silencing a hiss as Nanoha gently pulled out a couple of wood splinters from the torn flesh of her hand before cleaning it.

"Okaa-san used to scold them all the time," Nanoha continued, washing the samurai's wounds clean. "They would stumble into the house, one hanging off the other, looking absolutely horrid with bruises and welts all over."

A sad smile.

"But they always grinned, Otou-san proud of Nii-san's growth, and Nii-san happy to make Otou-san proud of him."

Signum watched silently as Nanoha, with the utmost gentle hands, began to wrap her hand with fresh strips of white.

"Growing up over the years with that going on, Okaa-san and I got pretty good at patching them up." A pause. "Only for them to beat themselves senseless all over again a day later," the brunette chuckled softly.

Nanoha sighed, her gaze focused on Signum's bandaged hand. While Signum couldn't see Nanoha's eyes, she knew the girl was fighting back tears.

"All done!"

Signum raised her hand to her face and flexed her fingers. A dull pain twinged through it as she did that, but the samurai didn't show it. The pinkette smiled at Nanoha, pleased with the tightness of the bandages. It wasn't too loose nor too tight. It was just right.

"Have you ever considered being a Kusushi, Takamachi-san?" Signum said, as Nanoha picked up the basin of red water to dispose of the liquid. "Shamal-san is always looking for capable Deshi to train."

Nanoha blushed. "Nyahahaha… I don't think I have the stomach to do anything more than that," she said, disappearing behind the white curtain wall once more. "I get a bit queasy just going to Tosatsunin-san for some meat."

Blue eyes wandered from the curtained wall over to the bed on the opposite end of the room. Brown locks of hair splayed over the pillow, closed eyelids hiding once vibrant green eyes. Signum clenched her jaw, anger swirling once more as she watched Takamachi Miyuki inhale and exhale ever so slightly. Shamal had done all that she could for the woman. But while all of the physical wounds would heal, that still didn't guarantee the older Takamachi would wake up.

"Care to tell me how you hurt yourself, Signum-sama?"

Signum flinched slightly, as Nanoha suddenly appeared in front of her, their faces just inches apart. How the girl moved so quietly and quickly without Signum noticing was truly unfathomable. Signum glanced down at her bandaged hand, flexing her fingers again. Blue eyes darkened at the mere thought of Stars and Lightning.

"It is perhaps because of the White Devil and Thunder Reaper?"

Signum's head shot up. She gawked at Nanoha. "How-"

Nanoha giggled. "Everyone in the middle district can't stop talking about those two," she said.

"Of course."Signum's gaze fell back on her hand. A depression on the bed next to her caused the samurai to look to her right.

"Do you get into a lot of trouble because of them?" Nanoha tilted her head to the side, looking at Signum curiously.

Signum frowned. "It is my duty to ensure the safety of everyone in the city. Every moment they are out there, freely doing whatever they want, puts everyone at risk."

"Hmm…" Nanoha tapped her chin in thought. "Wouldn't they be good guys though?"

That comment caused Signum to raise an eyebrow at the brunette.

"I mean, they stop bad people from hurting others with the Spirit Seeds. So they can't be all that bad."

"And just what do they intend to do with those Spirit Seeds?" Signum questioned, knowing she wouldn't get the answer.

Nanoha shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "Have you tried talking to them about it?"

Signum looked at Nanoha incredulously. "Talking to them?"

Nanoha nodded.

"You think they would just stand there and talk to the Taichou of the Samurai?"

"Have you tried?" Violet eyes looked at Signum expectantly.

Signum's eyebrow twitched as she met Nanoha's intense stare. Nanoha blinked at her, waiting for a response. The pink haired captain looked away guiltily. "I haven't exactly tried that strategy yet,"she said quietly.

Nanoha smiled at Signum. "How would you know unless you ask?"

"Unfortunately Takamachi-san," Signum began with a resigned tone. "Not everyone is willing to talk things out like you are."

Nanoha hummed thoughtfully. "Well…" she said. "If talking doesn't work at the beginning, maybe you have to give them a reason to talk to you first."

"Is not keeping their lives worth enough?" Blue eyes met violet.

Nanoha laughed. "Silly Signum-sama," she said. "If I threatened to kill you, how talkative would you be?"

Signum grumbled. "Good point." The samurai hunched forward.

Violet eyes widened. Signum was pouting! It was so adorable!

Signum flinched as arms wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed gently. The pinkette stared at Nanoha, surprised at the hug.

"Cheer up Signum-sama," Nanoha said, that heart warming smile on her face. "Surely there are other ways to solve this. I know you'll find the answer. I believe in you."

A smile curled on Signum's lips, the samurai relaxing in the brunette's embrace. "Thank you Takamachi-san." Her eyes returned to her bandaged hand once again. "You're right. There must be another way to look at this and turn things around."

A pause.

"In fact…" Signum said in thought. "I believe Scrya-sama was working on something that held a lot of promise." Signum vaguely remembered seeing a request from the scholar amongst her reports, something about requesting Spirit Seeds for his research into neutralizing their power.

"Yunno-kun?"

Signum nodded. "He's studying what makes the Spirit Seeds produce magic," the samurai explained. Signum knew she shouldn't be telling Nanoha this, but she trusted the brunette and needed to talk about it to someone. Someone aside from Shamal that is. "He believes there is a way to neutralize their magic rendering them harmless."

Nanoha's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"In fact…" Signum murmured as she rose to her feet. Nanoha stood up with her. "He requested to meet with me about it."

The Captain of the Samurai turned to Nanoha. "I should seek him out immediately." Signum moved to leave, but paused and turned back to Nanoha. "You have been most helpful Takamachi-san."

To Nanoha's surprise, Signum hugged her. There was a renewed vigour in the samurai, that wasn't there originally.

"Thank you, Nanoha-san," Signum said with a smile after releasing the brunette.

"Umm… sure?" Nanoha watched Signum almost skip out of the infirmary, a definite spring in the samurai's step.

"Signum-sama?" Shamal almost collided with the swordswoman in the doorway, having returned from the storage room with fresh herbs in her hands.

"Shamal-san." Passing the blonde attendant, Signum paused in her steps for a second to lean in and kiss Shamal on the forehead.

Shamal's face went scarlet at the samurai's open affection, Shamal completely flabbergasted as she watched Signum's back disappear around the corner. Nanoha did a double take at the scene, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"What…" Shamal shook her head, the blush still present on her cheeks. She turned to Nanoha. "What was that all about?"

The brunette could only shrug her shoulders.

* * *

OMAKE

"Fate-chan?"

The blonde in question jumped a foot into the air with a squeak. Nanoha couldn't but giggle at this. The brunette had just stopped by the Harlaown residence to ask Lindy about what tea worked best in fighting a sore throat. It had a been a few days since her throat went sore, and nothing she did seemed to make it feel any better. Seeing as she was already here, Nanoha figured she may as well visit her best friend. Over the past few weeks, both of them had barely seen much of each other. Fate, because of a week long cold and her ever busy schedule, and Nanoha because... well... she'd be busy with things on top of cooking at the Midori-ya. Things which resulted in her current predicament.

"N-N-Nanoha!" Fate exclaimed in utter surprise, quickly turning from the window to face her best friend. Her hand hid behind her back, hiding her golden magatama jewelled bracelet. She had been conversing with Bardiche about what district they'd be patrolling tonight and was completely taken off guard to hear someone call out to her. "W-what are you doing here?"

It had been weeks since Fate last saw Nanoha. Since that unexpected, though not unpleasant, surprise involving walking in on a half naked Nanoha, Fate couldn't bring herself to face the brunette. For the days that followed, all Fate could think about was the smooth skin of Nanoha's back and what the rest of her would have looked like unclothed. Fate felt like such a pervert, thinking such thoughts about her best friend. Any mention of the youngest Takamachi would incite her overactive imagination.

At one point, it got so bad, Fate pretended to catch a week long cold just to avoid meeting Nanoha face to face. Who knows what would have happened if she ran into Nanoha during that time. After that, Fate busied herself whenever she could, with whatever she could, no matter how menial the task. Any mention of Nanoha instantly caused her to blush like an overripe tomato, the first few times causing those around her deep concern as they feared she was getting sick again. Fate waved them off each time, telling them that she was fine, but she still had yet to stop that reaction from happening anytime she thought of the youngest Takamachi. And now, the source of her affliction was face to face with her.

Nanoha's eyebrows raised in surprise, Fate seeming more flustered and flushed that usual. "I was just getting some tea from Lindy-san for my sore throat," the brunette explained. "I think I may have picked up what you had last week." A giggle. Then a frown. "Are you alright? You look a bit red. Are you still sick?"

Nanoha moved to put her hand on Fate's forehead, genuinely concerned about her friend, but Fate's hand intercepted hers and stopped it.

"I-I'm fine," Fate said, trying to regain her normally calm composure. She was anything but calm right now though. Her heart beat erratically in her chest, the ever familiar heat of a blush rising to her cheeks. She was starting to sweat too, having no clue on how to get herself out of this situation.

"Y-you just surprised me is all."

"You sure?" Nanoha frowned more. Fate was shaking ever so slightly, even she could feel it with the blonde's hand still around her wrist. "You don't look so good." With her free hand, Nanoha touched Fate's cheek, not liking how warm her friend was feeling.

The moment Nanoha's hand touched her cheek, Fate's eyes glazed over, the flaxen haired girl relishing in the feel of Nanoha's soft skin against her face. Her thoughts wandered to that fateful night once again, in her inner eye Fate looking up and down Nanoha's smooth flesh. Gods, she was such a pervert.

"Fate-chan?" Fate went slack under her touch, greatly alarming Nanoha. "Fate-chan?" she said again when Fate didn't respond to her first shake.

The second call of her name seemed to do the trick, Fate snapping out of stupor. Realizing what she was doing, the blonde straightened up immediately and cleared her throat. "I-I'm sorry, Nanoha. What were you saying?" Fate felt so light headed right now. If she didn't figure out a way to escape soon, she'd either faint or have a nose bleed. Or both.

Fate's unsteady voice was the last straw. "Alright!" Nanoha declared. "Back to bed with you missy!"

"W-what?" Burgundy eyes widened in shock as Nanoha took a hold of her wrist and started to drag her towards her futon. "N-Nanoha! I'm fine! Really!"

Nanoha was not convinced. "You don't have to act strong in front of me Fate-chan," she chided the blonde. "If you weren't feeling well, you should have stayed in bed." Fighting this sore throat over the past few days, on top of other things, Nanoha knew how draining being sick could be. As chipper as she appeared right now, the brunette was feeling rather tired. Knowing Fate, the blonde was probably doing the same thing and the last thing Nanoha wanted was for Fate to collapse.

"But Nanoha!" Fate protested. Her mind was in overdrive now. The mention of bed, Nanoha holding onto her wrist and dragging her towards it, Fate's over active imagination was going nuts. Fate started to pull back, trying to break free of Nanoha's hold. "I'm fine! I'm not sick anymore!" The blonde stumbled slightly, for some reason, the floors seemingly slicker than usual.

Nanoha yanked Fate behind her harder, hearing none of that. "Fate-"

"Nano-AH!" Fate lost her footing due to Nanoha's yank and tumbled forward into her best friend.

At the sound of yelps and something crashing to the ground upstairs, Harlaown Lindy immediately abandoned her tea and rushed up to Fate's room. "Fate! Nanoha! Is everything-" The teal haired woman stilled.

Upon opening the door to her adopted daughter's room, Lindy was greeted with an interesting sight. A very flushed Fate lay sprawled on her back, half on her futon with Nanoha lying on top of her. Unbeknownst to the two girls, Lindy had cleaned the floors of the entire house, leaving them not only sparkling clean but a bit slippery with polish as well.

An all knowing grin stretched across Lindy's face, the older Harlaown relishing the look of horror on Fate's face. Nanoha looked rather embarrassed.

"My apologies," Lindy said looking anything but apologetic. "I'll leave you two alone. Carrry on." With one last glance to the fallen pair, Lindy closed the door to Fate's bedroom and walked down the stairs humming happily.

Fate wanted to die.

"Nyahaha..." came Nanoha's signature laugh. "Sorry Fate-chan," the brunette said. "I'm a bit clumsy today it seems."

Nanoha's head was cushioned against Fate's chest, directly between her breasts. And while she had every opportunity to get off of the blonde, the youngest Takamachi couldn't quite bring herself to do that just yet. Nanoha's eyes slowly closed, the brunette relishing in the warmth and softness of her best friend, the steady beating of Fate's heart quickly lulling her to sleep.

Fate swallowed thickly. "I-it's alright Nanoha," Fate said, still red as ever. "I'm was a bit clumsy too."

Silence.

"Nanoha?" Fate looked down at the brunette.

A smile.

Nanoha had already fallen asleep.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ A few of you were wondering what happened after the end of chapter 21, where Fate snuck a peek at Nanoha. We'll here's your answer. XD This may or may not have happened. Lol._

_As for Fate's ninja nickname, I was trying to come up with something as cool as Nanoha's, but this was the best I could do. ^^;;;_

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Otou-san/Tou-san = Father_

_Onii-san/Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Hai = Yes_

_Kuso = Damnit_

_Taii = Lieutenant_

_Kusushi = Doctor_

_Deshi = Apprentice/Pupil_

_Tosatsunin = Butcher_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	24. Speak of the Devil

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_kris-tim - Thanks for the review! ^^ I'm glad you like that chapter. :) Signum is awesome, I have to say. She always surprises people like that. Hehehe. I have ideas for a Signum x Shamal story, but that won't happen until after this story at the earliest. Fear not, Carim and Hayate will be showing up, I promise you that. It will just be a bit longer before that happens. ;) Until, you'll just have to keep guessing about other things. :P _

_Unknown - Thanks for the review! :) I'm glad you like that OMAKE. It was a bit of a last minute addition based on everyone's feedback from the previous chapter. I was worried I rushed it too much, but in the end things turned out great. ^^ The next chapter will be posted in the next few weeks. I do hope in the new year to speed up the posting schedule, but for now, it will remain at every two weeks. Thanks for the review! _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 23: Speak of the Devil ~ ***

"Scrya Yunno."

The said man jumped out of his chair and crashed to the floor with a clatter. Rolls of parchment drifted to the ground around him, his ink brush still clutched tightly in his hand. The imperial scholar had just returned from dinner a few minutes ago, and was in the middle of settling in at his desk for a rather long night of research. The last thing he expected was to see a white garbed figure in the far shadowed corner of his office.

"W-w-w-who are you? W-what do you want?"

"Is it true you're working on a seal to neutralize the Spirit Seeds?"

Green eyes widened. "I-I don't know w-what you're t-t-talking about." Had Yunno been of a clear mind, he would have noticed the unusual rasp in the forced deep voice of his intruder. But as it was, he was scared out of his mind and didn't register such a thing.

The figure in white stepped towards him, a weapon now clearly seen strapped to their back.

"I-is that-"

"It would be in your best interests to tell the truth Scrya-sama."

A red magatama jewel the size of one's fist pulsed faintly near the top of the white staff on the intruder's back. The staff itself seemed to be made of a white marble, lined with gold and pink quartz on the ends. Never before had Yunno ever seen such a magnificent weapon. And for good reason too. The size of the magatama jewel was the biggest hint. It was one of the weapons from legend.

Violet coloured eyes narrowed at the scholar in green. "I will not ask you again," the figure in white said. "Is it true that you are working on a seal to neutralize the Spirit Seeds?"

Yunno bit his lip. "H-hai…" he said in a shaky voice.

This person was dangerous. Yunno knew it. It wouldn't be a good idea to piss them off. The weapons of legend, unlike most Spirit Seeds, could not be wielded by just anyone. Only a specific person could use them. And only that person would know the name of their weapon. The weapons themselves chose their masters with their only distinguishing feature being the size of their magatama jewel. They were the size of one's fist unlike the Spirit Seeds, which were the size of a marble. They were also said to hold incredible power. According to the ancient texts, only the gods could wield such weapons...

"How close are you to finishing that seal?"

Yunno snapped out of his thoughts. "Uhh…"

"Scrya-sama," the figure in white said again.

Yunno went ramrod straight in his spot, sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"I don't like repeating myself. It annoys me." The assassin garbed in white moved closer, pulling the white staff from their back and pointing it at him. "This is the last time I will ask again. How close are you to finishing that seal?"

"S-s-s-s-still a l-long way off f-f-f-from finishing it," the scholar managed to say. Yunno could almost see his life flash before his eyes.

"Why is that?" The staff inched closer to his face, the red magatama jewel glowing brighter.

"B-b-b-b-because I can't s-s-study the S-S-Spirit S-Seeds up close. T-too dangerous they said." Yunno really shouldn't have drunk so much tea at dinner. It was now posing a big problem for him. "I-I-I can only work off of t-t-the reports written b-b-by the m-m-m-mages who originally s-s-s-sealed them."

"I see." The white garbed figure strapped their staff on their back.

Yunno breathed in relief. He looked up at the assassin nervously. They now stood in front of him, separated by a few arms lengths. For someone so powerful, they did seem a bit on the small side.

"If you could study the Spirit Seeds up close, could you complete your seal faster?" Violet eyes regarded him intently.

"M-maybe…" Yunno said quietly.

"Maybe?" Violet eyes narrowed at him.

"It's n-n-not what you think!" he said waving his hands frantically in front of him. "Not all the Spirit Seeds are the same!" Yunno exclaimed. "Which is why they have to be sealed individually."

"So then it's impossible to make a seal for them all?"

"N-no… Not impossible."

"Explain." The figure in white crossed their arms over their chest. Yunno could tell the assassin was quickly losing patience with him.

"I-it's true that all the Spirit Seeds are different. They are unique from each other. But they all are connected together just the same."

"I'm listening."

Yunno swallowed, pulling at the collar of his green robe. "W-well, you see… When two or more of them are close together, they somehow synchronize with each other, boosting each other's power. The more of them together, the more powerful they are as a whole. I'm not sure how they connect to each other, but if I can get my hands on a lot of them to study, I think I can find that connection and use it to make the seal to neutralize them all at the same time."

The assassin in white regarded the blonde silently for a minute. A feeling of dread slowly crept up inside the scholar. What if the assassin didn't believe him? What if they thought he was making stuff up? If so, Yunno's life would end very shortly.

"Start with these."

Yunno yelped in fear, bringing up his arms to his face to defend himself as something small was thrown at him. The item bounced lightly off his arm and tumbled to his lap. After a moment with no further movement, Yunno opened his eyes to find a small pouch on his leg.

"I shall retrieve more for you later."

Yunno jumped when he realized the white assassin was no longer in front of him, but behind him making their way to the door of his office. "R-retrieve more? More of..."

Yunno opened the small pouch, emptying its contents into his hand. Three blue magatama jewels fell into his open palm. Yunno's eyes went wide. "These are-"

"Spirit Seeds," the figure in white finished for him.

"You stole them from the Empress!" The scholar gaped at the intruder by his door.

A chuckle. "Not from the Empress," they said, turning their back on him. Three blue stars came to view, under their white staff. "Other ones. Be careful with them. They're very volatile if not handled properly."

As if to attest to that, the blue magatama jewels in his hand started to glow. Yunno yipped, quickly shoving the Spirit Seeds back into the pouch to prevent anything further from happening. "I can't keep these!" he said in absolute panic. "What if the Empress finds out I have them?"

"I highly suggest that she does not find out about them Scrya-sama. I would hate to have to... clean up after you..." The white garbed assassin opened the door to his office. "I shall see you again Scrya Yunno-kun, when the moon is at its fullest." And then they were gone.

"When the moon is at its fullest?" Yunno moaned, hanging his head. "Why me?"

The scholar went rigid.

The insignia on the person's back. Three blue stars. There was only one person rumoured to wear that insignia.

"The White Devil…" Yunno groaned, hanging his head.

* * *

OMAKE

Minutes passed silently as the figure in white jumped from rooftop to rooftop, away from the imperial palace. They had almost been caught on their way out by a patrol of samurai, but luckily managed to avoid a full out confrontation. Signum would not be happy with those two samurai when they were found _sleeping_ on the job. Oh well. They couldn't do anything about it now.

Stopping on a rooftop in the middle of the middle district, the white garbed assassin couldn't hold it any longer. They threw back their head and hollered. Anyone on the streets below scurried for cover, thinking a demon was nearby from the hysterical laughter. Violet coloured eyes held so much mirth, the assassin in white holding their stomach as they doubled over gasping for breath.

"By the gods!" A fit of giggles. Just the thought of Yunno looking ready to pee his robes made the white garbed assassin laugh more. "I should play a bad guy more often! Who knew it could be so fun?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	25. Don't Tell

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Merry Christmas everyone! And for those of you who don't celebrate it, Happy Holidays! :) In the spirit of the holidays (and because I have no idea what my schedule will be like in the next few days), I'm posting this chapter up early. ^^ Enjoy!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_kris-tim - Thanks for the review. ^^ This was admittedly one of my shorter chapters, but nevertheless, Nanoha scaring Yunno senseless was so worth it. XD Carim and Hayate will be making an appearance in the next couple of chapters, fear not. Along with moving along the plot that I know some of you have been asking about. ;) In a previous chapter, the one near the beginning where Nanoha collapsed, that's where I revealed how she came to get Raging Heart. I haven't thought about exploring how the others got their weapons, though I could possibly do that as one shots later after the story ends. I just know it won't be possible to include them all in this particular story. Enjoy this next chapter. ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 24: Don't Tell ~ ***

"_Fate, I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'll just say it. I'm your father."_

Fate walked down the road silently, her wine coloured eyes looking ahead but her mind wandering elsewhere.

"_Your mother was Precia Testerossa, an archaeologist like me. We met in Italy, studying at the same school, and eventually fell in love."_

It had all started that night, many weeks ago, when doubts of who she was, reemerged. Like an invisible itch that she could not scratch, they slowly ate away at her, making her question things she thought she knew. Making her question herself.

"_Soon after, we were married. And a year later, Precia gave birth to twins. Alicia, your older sister. And you, Fate." A smile. "Both of you were the liveliest girls we knew, always getting into trouble together."_

For weeks now, she had kept that incident to herself. Only Lindy and Chrono knew of Jail's visit, and only they would know of that visit. They had spoken not a word about it since, telling no one else, her mother and brother respectfully allowing Fate to figure out things on her own. Fate was thankful of the space they were giving her.

"_Due to our work, it wasn't unusual for Precia to take you both on archaeological digs with her. They were safe, small dig sites, a place with a lot of people around to make sure neither of you got into any trouble while your mother worked. Sadly, that would mean we'd be apart from time to time. Our research led us in different directions, taking us to opposite ends of the country."_

For weeks now, she battled with herself over the things he said to her. Things about her family. Things about herself. Things she could not remember.

"_One day however, there was an accident at the dig site where you, your mother and your sister were. By the time I heard about it and rushed over there, your mother was already in the hospital and both of you… were gone…"_

The package in Fate's hands crinkled, her white knuckled fists trembling. She bit her lip, burgundy coloured eyes filled with untold pain. Lindy had sent her into the marketplace to pick up a dress she had custom ordered for a party coming up. It was an easy enough request, Fate needing only take a fifteen minute walk to the marketplace and then another fifteen minute walk back home. All throughout the errand however, Fate's body was on auto pilot, while her mind swirled in turmoil.

"_Your mother wasn't the same after that day. The night before she was to come home, she disappeared from the hospital, never to be seen again. I wouldn't find out until much later that she had come here, and was at the heart of the Garden of Time incident."_

Fate had kept all of this from Nanoha, pretending as if the meeting had never happened in the first place. It wasn't that she didn't trust Nanoha with this. Fate just wasn't sure she trusted herself with this. But as the weeks bore on, the silence became overwhelming. Fate felt herself crumble more and more under the secrecy, the blonde having half a mind just to rush over to the Midori-ya Café to pull Nanoha aside and tell her everything.

"_I don't know how it happened, but I believe the Spirit Seeds had something to do with you being saved. And I think Precia thought so too, which is why she came here to find that out. Sadly, it didn't turn out as peaceful as both of us had hoped. No one could have foreseen what happened next."_

In the days that followed Jail's visit, Fate became restless, unable to sleep, and having no appetite. She even found it hard to enjoy the simple things in life, something which usually came easy to her. The weight of Jail's appearance, and confession, was a heavy burden to bear for the young Fate.

"_That is why I continue to study them. To find out what happened that day. To get back the precious moments and memories that was stolen from me. From us. I know so much time has been lost, and we can never get that back. But if you're willing, and I hope you are, I want to make up for all of that lost time and be your father again. Will you allow me to do that Fate?"_

"KUSO!"

_RIP!  
_

Lindy's dress unceremoniously fluttered to the ground, the package wrappings still held tightly in both of Fate's hand's. The blonde squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to calm her breathing, which was now came out in raspy gasps.

"Kuso…"

Fate's hands dropped to her sides, her fists going limp. The ripped packaging dropped to the ground soundlessly. Fate sighed. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was not the same person she was as a little girl. She was not the one that Jail, if his words were true, that her father thought she would be. And that thought alone made her feel conflicted. Like she let her father down. What would her life have been like if her mother and sister were still alive? What would have life been like if they were all still together?

"Che." Fate shook her head, internally berating herself. She shouldn't be thinking like that. Wallowing in her own self pity. Fate was Fate. That's what Nanoha always told her. Only one person could be Fate, and that was her. _Nanoha…_

She needed to talk to Nanoha. The brunette would know what to do. Looking down at the ground, Fate grimaced. "Ahh…" Fate bit her lip picking up Lindy's now dirty dress. "Kaa-san won't be very happy about this…"

"Stop thief!"

Fate's head shot up at the voice.

"Someone stop him!"

Darting through the crowd behind her, Fate caught sight of a familiar mop of red hair. Chasing after the thief was none other than Suzuka and Arisa, the blonde red face and probably planning bloody murder once she caught up to the small boy. With her mother's dress forgotten, Fate darted down the closest alleyway, parallel to the one Erio ran into. Sliding to a halt on the next road over, she caught sight of a blur of red disappearing around corner. Fate lifted the hem of her kimono and gave chase. He would not escape her this time.

* * *

"Caro!" Erio stumbled forward, ending up on his knees next to his ailing friend.

Caro weakly opened her eyes and smiled. "Erio…kun…" she slurred.

"Caro, I got the money!" Erio said, trying to catch his breath. He ignored the stinging in his knees. "Just hang on, alright? I'm going to buy the medicine now. I'll-"

"So this is where you've been running off to."

The red head went rigid, spinning around wide eyed at the sound of the voice.

Fate huffed, cheeks red from all the running, a thin layer of sweat covering her face. She wiped her cheeks on the sleeve of her kimono. The blonde currently blocked the small dead end alleyway where Erio and Caro took refuge in.

Erio mentally the past few weeks, he had done his best to avoid the blonde woman. He often caught sight of her passing through the market from time to time, Erio resorting to hiding in alleyways out of sight or running away in the opposite direction when he saw Fate. There were a couple of times she saw him too, despite his attempts to avoid her, but the moment she did, he took off running before she could run up to him. This time however, he hadn't even seen her. But it was obvious she had seen him and followed him here.

Erio rose to his feet, his hands balled into fists. "Leave us alone!" he said, standing protectively in front of his companion. Friedrich, who was at his master's side, whimpered.

Fate frowned. Things were finally making sense. The boy stealing food and money. It wasn't just for him. It was for his friend, the girl looking quite sickly. She needed to see a healer soon. Fate moved towards Caro.

"I said-"

"She needs help!" Fate said pushing past the stunned Erio aside. He obviously didn't expect her to shove past him. Fate knelt down next to Caro and placed her hand on the girl's forehead. Wine coloured eyes widened in alarm.

"Don't touch her-"

_SLAP!_

Erio stumbled backwards holding his reddening cheek.

"Argue with me later," Fate said, gently scooping up the surprisingly light girl into her arms. "Hurt me if that is what you wish. But not now. Now we help her."

Erio swallowed back the lump in his throat at the sight of blood coloured eyes narrowing at him. He quickly stared at Friedrich, trying to escape Fate's piercing gaze. Then a thought hit him. Strange. The baby silver dragon would always hiss and growl whenever something or someone came close to Caro. Aside from him that is. But all Friedrich did right now was to watch Fate. Did that mean he thought this woman to be a friend?

"My house is not far from here," Fate said peeking out from the alleyway. "If we run, we may catch the Kusushi in time." A quick glance at her feet and she nodded at the silver dragon. "He can't be seen or he'll only attract trouble for us. Hide him in something and let's go."

"But-"

"She's dying!" Fate hissed, Erio going pale at the admission. "And unless we get to my house soon, she will die. Do you want to watch that happen?"

Erio immediate grabbed Caro's side bag and gently picked up Friedrich, hiding him inside. Without further ado, he raced after Fate, unconsciously noting just how fast she ran despite running in a kimono and carrying a load in her arms.

* * *

"Kaa-san! Help!"

"Fate-chan?" Lindy poked her head out from the kitchen, where she currently sat with Shamal drinking tea. They were discussing the latest happenings in the imperial palace before Fate arrived.

"What on-"

"Is Shamal-sama still here?" Fate was panicking. Caro passed out halfway through her run to the house and hadn't moved since.

At the sound of her name, Shamal rushed out into the hallway. "Oh goodness!" the blonde attendant said. "Set her down quickly!"

Fate rushed into the sitting room, gingerly setting Caro down, placing a pillow under her head. Shamal immediately knelt down next to the girl, with her healer's bag already open.

"We should give her some room to work," Lindy said, motioning for the rest of them to wait outside.

"But-" Erio was dragged out of the sitting room before he could finish his words. "No! Caro!" Arms wrapped around him, stilling him.

"She'll be alright," Fate said, giving the boy a smile. "Shamal-sama is the best."

Lindy nodded for emphasis.

Erio turned back to the doorway of the sitting room where he could see the short blonde haired woman called Shamal attending to Caro. The red head looked up upon feeling a shudder, one that didn't originate from him. Blue eyes widened to see tears in Fate's eyes.

"I hope I wasn't too late," she said softly. A flash of memory made her bite her lip.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine, Fate-chan," Lindy said soothingly. She gently stroked the younger girl's hair trying to quell Fate's tears.

"Kaa-san."

"Hai?"

"Don't tell Chrono or Signum."

"I won't."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Kuso = Damnit_

_Hai = Yes_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Kusushi = Doctor_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	26. The Prophecy

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday! Some of your have been asking about Hayate and Carim and Rein, along with what's happening with the plot. Here's my answer to you. Enjoy the chapter! XD _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 25: The Prophecy ~ ***

"Rein!"

Hayate jolted awake in disorientation. The brunette immediately jerked upright in bed, clutching at her chest.

Why she awoke, she didn't know. Why she called out the name of her little friend, puzzled her even more. Her room was pitch black, and soundless, as it should be in the middle of the night.

Weeks ago, Rein vanished without a trace. No one knew what happened to the little guardian. Signum, Vita, Shamal and Zafira spent the days after her disappearance looking for the little sprite, but to no avail. Eventually, they all stopped the searchings, hoping she would come back on her own. But they still waited.

The sound of flapping curtains.

Blue eyes darted to the balcony doors. The curtains covering them flapped in the wind, the faint outline of a person now clearly seen due to the soft moon light. The hooded figure stooped with perfect balance on the guard rail of the balcony, which over looked the middle district. Rose coloured eyes peered into blue ones.

"HAYATE-SAMA!"

The massive double doors to Hayate's room burst open, a flustered Signum sliding to a halt in the doorway with her Levantine drawn. The Captain of the Samurai immediately stiffened upon sight of the intruder, and darted towards them.

"_Kisama!"_

_SLASH!_

Hayate watched in fascination as the intruder flipped over Signum's strike and landed in a crouch just behind the samurai. In a flash of light, a pair of tonfa-shaped twin swords materialized in the intruder's hands.

_CLANK!_

Signum gritted her teeth, Levantine screeching against the intruder's weapons. When her first attack was evaded, Signum immediately spun around on her heel and brought her sword down in a vertical slash. That move would have cleaved the attacker in two had they not crossed their blades above their head protectively. Arms trembled as both of them struggled to overpower the other through brute force.

"Hayate what-"

Vita blinked. And blinked. And blinked again.

Having been woken up by the clatter in Hayate's room, the half asleep red head went to investigate the sound. Upon entering the Empress' room, Vita was shocked to find Signum locked in deadly combat with an unknown assailant closer to the open balcony doors.

"Eisen!"

"**Giganthammer!"**

The hooded figure lurched forward, throwing Signum off balance, to escape the deadlock with the samurai. Vita leapt into the air, her now massively sized hammer held high above her head, before she brought it down upon the intruder's head.

_BOOM!_

Shamal stumbled into Hayate's room a moment later with Zafira in tow, the entire upper floor rumbling and shaking from Vita's attack. The red head growled, glaring at the hooded intruder who had not only evaded her blow, but now stooped two feet away from her hammer unscathed. But before the intruder could do anything further, twin wires with crystal gems as counter weights, whipped into the air around them and ensnared them. The intruder's arms were now bound to their sides, rendering their blades useless. Shamal glared at the hooded figure, keeping her wires taut preventing them from escaping. Zafira growled menacingly.

"Schach-san, that will be enough," came a voice from the balcony.

At the command, the intruder's weapons vanished in a flash. Signum stood defensively between Hayate, who still sat in bed, as a second intruder walked into the room from the balcony.

"Everyone, please lower your weapons," Hayate commanded, sensing no ill will from the intruders. The last thing the Empress wanted was for her trusted body guards to do something they'd regret later.

Signum gritted her teeth at the brunette's command, lowering her weapon, but did not lower her guard.

"My apologies Empress, for disturbing you at such a late hour," the second intruder said. They drew back their hood revealing long blonde hair held back with a white headband. "I meant not to cause such a ruckus, but it was necessary."

"Carim-sama," Hayate said smiling.

The Wolkenritter stared at Carim in shock, all of them immediately looking to the first of the hooded intruders.

"I do hope my Keigo didn't cause too much trouble."

Shamal immediately withdrew her wires, the first of the intruders drawing back their hood to reveal short fushia coloured hair. "Shamal-sama," Schach said with a nod. "Your wire technique is as sharp as ever."

Shamal blushed in both embarrassment and pride. In her younger years, Shamal often sparred with Schach to keep her technique sharp. Schach was quick and agile, just what Shamal needed in training to ensure she had proper control over her wires when facing a tricky opponent. That was before the move to the imperial palace, before both of them had been assigned to their respective charges. The blonde attendant hadn't drawn her weapon since then, against such a skilled opponent no less, and knowing that she was still in almost perfect form made her smile.

Signum holstered Levantine, crossing her arms over her chest. Her normally stoic expression quickly fell into place. Despite wearing nothing but her sleep wear at the moment, that being a white robe with bamboo leaves printed on it, Signum looked just as menacing as she did in her full samurai armor. Vita's Graf Eisen returned to its normal size, the red head setting it down on the floor at her feet.

"I take it things have turned dire for you to visit me unannounced." A statement. Not a question.

Carim bowed her head and grimaced. "It is as you say Empress."

"Please," Hayate said. "Call me Hayate." A smile.

"Hayate-sama," Carim continued. "I must speak to you with the utmost urgency." A pause. "It concerns _the Prophecy_."

The Wolkenritter went stiff as boards at the mention of _the Prophecy_. While many people had forgotten the words of the first Oracle, the Oracle's words lost in the sands of time, there were a sparse few who remembered the original passages cited by the first seer. Unknown to all except Hayate and the Wolkenritter, Carim was the last remaining descendent of the original Oracle. While her gift was not as strong as her ancestors, it were no less accurate. Over the years the Empress had come to rely on Carim's advice in running the state, as her predictions were never wrong. As of late, the Prophecy had come to light again, becoming clearer as time went on. Something big was about to happen.

With the nod of her head, Shamal shut the door to the bedroom at Hayate's beckoning. The blonde immediately dashed off to the kitchen for some tea and biscuits with Zafira in tow. Turning her attention back Carim, Hayate motioned to the couch near the side of her room where many bookshelves filled with old tomes lined the walls. Hayate sat on one end of the couch with Carim sitting on the other end. Vita sat on the floor, near Hayate's feet while Signum stood just behind Hayate. Schach left her master's side, making her way to the balcony before shutting the doors behind her. She would stand watch during the conversation.

"During the night of the no moon," Carim began. "I received a vision of the most startling revelation."

The blonde reached into her hidden satchel, pulling forth a small bundle of parchment. Untying the bindings that held it, she pulled out a single sheet of parchment filled with script. She handed it to Hayate. "The saint is awakening."

"The… saint…?" Hayate looked at Carim questioningly before turning her attention to the words on the page.

_The seed of shadow will poison the land._

_The gate to the heavens will break._

_Stars and Lightning vow for the celestials,_

_To destroy the seeping taint._

_False celestials will seek life,_

_To awaken the saint in sorrow._

_When saint cries and opens their eyes,_

_The land will be covered in light or shadow._

Hayate looked up from the parchment.

"I'm sure you can already see some parallels to that which is currently happening," Carim said solemnly. "Though, what it all means, that I am unsure."

Vita looked up at Hayate, noting the intense concentration on the brunette's face as Hayate studied the words again. Hayate handed the parchment to Signum behind her to read. Moments later, the samurai stiffened noticeably, Signum fighting with herself to not crumple the sheet of paper in her hand. It was then Shamal returned, with tea and a tray of pastries offering them to their guest. Zafira sat down next to Vita.

"What can we do to ensure the shadow does not envelop the land?" Hayate declined the tea offered by Shamal. Though she did take a pastry, something Nanoha had taught the imperial chefs to make in parting weeks ago.

"I believe the Saint is key," Carim replied, taking a quick sip of tea. "But despite the Prophecy, we don't know who or what that may be. Or even how it will awaken."

"What of these celestials mentioned in the prophecy?" Signum asked.

Carim shook her head. "We are still looking into that right now. I will let you know if we find out anything further."

"That would be appreciated," Hayate said with a small smile. Signum gave a curt nod.

Carim rose to her feet, setting down her now empty cup of tea. Dawn was quickly approaching, the faint shimmer of orange and gold now peeking over the horizon. "I must be taking my leave," she said. The doors to the balcony opened, revealing Carim's body guard.

Hayate stood up, motioning towards the door with her hand. "Perhaps this time you'll use the front door," she said chuckling.

By now, a unit of samurai was stationed outside of the Empress' chambers, having rushed to the scene when the sounds of battle first reached their ears. Shamal had calmly quelled their fears on her way to the kitchen, the samurai now standing at attention in the hallway.

Carim chortled, hiding her laugh behind her hand as she shot Schach a look. Her body guard blushed softly in embarrassment.

"Perhaps we should," Carim said. "Scaling the palace walls without being seen is hardly good on the back."

* * *

"Hayate-sama?"

Hayate blinked. "Huh? What?" She looked at Shamal in confusion. Hayate currently stood on the balcony watching the sun rise.

Shamal smiled at her distracted master. "I asked if you were cold," she said.

"Oh," came the reply. Then a smile. "I'm fine Shamal." Hayate turned back to the rising sun.

"Thinking about Rein-chan?"

Hayate nodded.

"I'm sure she'll be alright. She's a tough one."

Hayate smiled at the thought. What Shamal said was true. Rein may not have looked it, but she could certainly be feisty when the situation warranted it. Despite that fact, Hayate couldn't but be worried about her little friend.

"Shamal."

"Hai Hayate-sama?"

"Please fetch a messenger for me," the brunette said. "I would like to send a message to Scaglietti-sama. I will be turning down his offer."

"Hai," Shamal said. "I shall call for one immediately." Shamal paused after a few steps before turning back to face the Empress. "If I may say something Hayate-sama?"

Hayate nodded.

"I think you're making the right decision about Scaglietti-sama. There is still much we don't know about him. But even so, he's a dangerous man, too dangerous to trust."

"I hope you and I are right about that Shamal," Hayate said. Hayate waved a hand in front of her face shooting away a bug as she turned to follow her attendant inside. _False celestials, huh?_

Unseen to the pair, the bug shooed away by Hayate made a beeline for the forestry lining the waterway leading into the imperial palace. There, it landed on the palm of its master who was dressed in black, the assassin patiently hiding in one of the higher branches of the trees.

"Good work," the soft voice said.

The bug fluttered its wings in contentment.

"Our lord will be pleased."

* * *

"My lord."

"Uno, what can I do for you?"

Uno walked up to her master, stopping just behind the violet haired man on his left. "Lutecia has reported in. The Empress will be refusing your offer."

A maniacal laugh. "I expected as much." Another laugh. "You should have seen their faces when Deed sent that samurai captain flying. Oh it was marvellous! Marvellous I tell you!"

Uno smiled as her lord cackled again. Jail always did have a strange sense of humour. "What are your orders then, my Lord?"

A face splitting smile. "We shall proceed with the next part of the plan," Jail replied, turning his attention back in front of them. "Make sure your sisters are ready."

"Yes, my Lord," Uno replied, before taking her leave.

Amber coloured eyes stared at the small form strapped to the table in front of him. A form with silver platinum coloured haired. "Now…" he said. "Where were we?"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you familiar with the StrikerS part of the anime series, you'll notice I tweaked Carim's prophetic abilities slightly. As there aren't two moons that align in this world, which is necessary for Carim to use her gift once a year, I have decided that her gift would best work under full moon conditions. But to limit her power becoming overused or too powerful, I have decided it will happen only when there is a lunar eclipse, something that tends to happen a few times a year. Carim refers to the lunar eclipse as the night of the 'no moon.'_

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee)_

_Keigo = Body Guard_

_Wolkenritter = Cloud Knights (German)_

_Giganthammer = Gigant Hammer (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	27. Memories of Black

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far. I'll see what I can do about including some more Subaru x Teana, but keep in mind, this is a Nanoha x Fate focused fanfiction, so that may not necessarily be possible. Thanks again for the comment. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 26: Memories of Black ~ ***

Japan. Ten years ago.

Everything was in chaos.

The sky was red, with towers of black smoke filling the air. Buildings were in pieces. People were screaming. And fire was everywhere.

A nine year old child in ripped clothing and a tattered black cape, staggered through the crumbling, flaming mess that was once the prestigious capital city of Japan. Blonde hair was crusted with soot and dirt, porcelain skin smudged with black. The child didn't know how she came to this place or what had happened. When she awoke, all that met her was the blood red sky and the screams of dying people around her.

To an outsider, she looked like any other shell shocked child, walking around in a daze. The country had just suffered the most devastating battle in all its history. Most of the city and surrounding areas were nothing but ruins filled with horrors too horrific to talk about. Children were left parentless. Parents were left childless. People were hurt, dying or already dead. It was truly hell on earth.

A whimper.

The blonde child stopped in her wanderings, wine coloured eyes searching for the sound.

Another whimper.

The child caught sight of a orange fur, half trapped under a collapsed house. Curious, the blonde walked up to the patch of orange fur only to be greeted with a snarl. Sapphire like eyes peered out from underneath orange fur, a ruby-like gem shimmering on the beast's forehead. It appeared to be a fox of some sort, but such creatures were not native to Japan. The child looked down at the small fox curiously, not realizing just how dangerous the beast was. For this wasn't just any fox. It was a demon fox.

The demon fox growled louder when the blonde child stooped down in front of it. The demon itself was no bigger than a house cat, but that made its fangs and claws no less deadly. Had it not had its back legs pinned under debris, it would have long leapt at the child, snapping at the girl's throat. But as it was right now, the demon could only bark at her.

The girl cried out in pain, small fangs sinking into the flesh of her hand as she reached out to aid the struggling fox demon. Thankfully, its fangs were not fully developed yet, and only pierced flesh just enough to sting. Biting her lip and blinking back tears, the blonde heaved the small piece of debris pinning the back legs of the demon fox and freed the beast with a grunt. Surprised at this, the demon released the girl's hand and limped backwards, putting some distance between them.

The blonde smiled, a genuine heart felt smile, her mission accomplished. She rose to her feet shakily. Her hand stung greatly, especially when she flexed her fingers, but the bleeding wasn't so bad and would eventually stop on its own. With nothing left to do, the blonde continued on her way, wandering aimlessly among the ruins. She had no particular destination in mind, but knew she shouldn't stop. Couldn't stop. It was not safe here.

The demon fox eyed the girl, remaining still as the blonde slowly got smaller and smaller the father and farther she walked away. The beast whined, turning its head back to sniff its hind legs. Sore, but not broken beyond repair. It looked back to the blonde child, who was almost out of sight now. Looking around the ruins of the house it stood in, the demon fox took off after the child, limping as quickly as it could to catch up to the girl.

* * *

The child stopped. Blinking, she turned around. The demon fox from before also stopped, sitting down on its haunches, just out of arm's reach. Crystal blue eyes blinked at the girl. The blonde girl blinked back, before turning around and continuing to walk forward. The moment she did, the demon fox stood up again on wobbly feet and continued to trail after her. The girl stopped again and sighed. The demon fox stopped too, sitting down again wagging its tongue. The girl looked behind her again.

"Otou-san! Okaa-san!"

Burgundy coloured eyes rose from the demon fox to look ahead. There, just ten feet in front of the blonde was a young girl with brown hair and violet coloured eyes. And just like the blonde, the brunette's skin was smudged with dirt, the girl wearing tatters for clothes. In the smaller girl's arms was a scorched stuffed bunny rabbit with an arm missing.

"Onii-san! Onee-san!" the girl shouted, tears already staining her face. Her bottom lip trembled as she looked this way and that, searching for her missing family members.

"O-"

Violet eyes fell upon the blonde and widened. The blonde tilted her head to the side and watched the brunette curiously.

"A-are you lost too?"

Lost. The blonde child blinked. Was she lost? Yes, she could say that. She was lost. She didn't know where she came from. Nor did she know where she was going. She was definitely lost. And so she nodded to the smaller girl.

The brunette slowly walked up to her, hesitant. It was then the smaller girl caught sight of the demon fox behind the blonde. "I can't find my family," she said, her eyes flicking back to the girl in front of her.

Family. A word the blonde understood yet at the same time did not.

The demon fox growled at the brunette the moment she came within arms reach of the blonde child. The smaller girl squeaked, back pedalling a few steps, shaking. "I'm-I'm scared," she said shivering.

The rabbit holding girl squeaked again, in both surprise and fear when the blonde took a step forward pulled her into a hug. The taller girl didn't know why she did that. Something about it just felt right. Like she knew it was something you did in situations like this. How she knew, she wasn't sure. She remembered nothing before she opened her eyes hours ago. So how could she know what to do?

The shivering brunette soon relaxed in her arms and snuggled into her embrace. This action made the blonde smile, another small but genuine smile. A warm feeling solidified in her chest, leaving the blonde both happy yet scared at the same time. What was this feeling? Why was she feeling this way? The small demon fox, feeling left out, whined before curling its body around the two girls legs. The smaller girl giggled, as orange fur tickled her bare feet.

"What's your name?"

Burgundy eyes looked downwards. "My… name?" The blonde's voice came out as a croak, her throat dry as this was the first time since waking that she'd used it.

"Nanoha."

"Eh?"

"Takamachi Nanoha," the brunette told her. "That's my name. What's yours?"

"Fate," the blonde replied. It was a word that floated around the dark recesses of her mind. An echoing whisper. Was that really her name though? She couldn't be sure. "Fate Testerossa."

"That's a pretty name," Nanoha said with a smile.

"E-eh?" Fate's cheeks coloured at the compliment.

"Nyahaha, Fate-chan is silly."

"Silly?"

Nanoha smiled sweetly again, causing Fate to blush further. Nanoha looked down at the ball of orange fur at their feet. "And what's your name?" she asked the little demon fox.

Blue eyes looked up at Fate before they turned back to look at Nanoha. The demon fox barked.

"Arf?" Fate said, repeating the sound of the demon fox's bark.

Nanoha giggled. "I like it," she said patting the beast on the head. Arf licked Nanoha's hand. Fate watched the exchange in silence, the warm feeling inside of her growing bigger.

Before Fate realized what was happening, Nanoha straightened up and grabbed onto her hand. "Let's go find our parents, ne?"

Fate could only nod blankly as she was dragged forward by the small girl. Arf trailed happily behind the pair, tongue wagging.

* * *

"You don't remember anything?" Nanoha looked at Fate in shock. After wandering around the ruined city for hours, the two young girls finally stopped to take a break in the wreckage of a half demolished house. It was more for Nanoha than Fate or Arf. The brunette's feet were scratched and sore as she walked around the debris with bare and unprotected feet. Fate on the other hand wore boots of some kind. Where she got them, she didn't know.

Nothing looked like anything Nanoha knew, the destroyed roads and houses and buildings looking completely foreign to the girl. As young as she was, Nanoha had a great memory. She could easily remember street names and how buildings looked. But as things looked right now, everything just looked scary to her. But as scared as she was of the situation, having someone else with her (two if you counted Arf), gave Nanoha the courage to keep searching. But right now, they needed a break.

Fate shook her head in reply to Nanoha's question. Arf napped in Fate's lap.

"Your home… your parents…"

"Nothing," Fate said quietly, feeling ashamed of her lack of memories. Just who was she?

Something wet splashed down on her arm. Fate looked to her companion in concern, ruby eyes widening at the sight. Nanoha was crying. Fate frowned, brows furling with her mouth pressing into a fine line. Fate didn't understand the hold this girl had over her, but anytime Nanoha cried, she wanted nothing more than to make her smile.

Fate reached over and brushed away a tear with her finger. "Why do you cry?"

Nanoha couldn't bear to see such sadness and loneliness in her companion's eyes. There was a hollowness to Fate's burgundy gems, something so cold that it felt like a hand had reached inside of Nanoha's stomach and squeezed her insides painfully. It was terrifying.

"I'm crying for you," Nanoha said sniffling. Arf whined softly, having been woken up from Nanoha's sniffles.

"For me?" Fate looked at her confused. What had she done to upset the smaller girl so?

"It's so sad not to remember your family. Your friends. People who care for you."

Fate turned her gaze towards the sky. "I… I don't think I ever had someone like that…" she said.

Nanoha's jaw dropped. "H-how can you say that! There must be someone-"

"If there was…" Fate quickly interrupted her. "Why don't I feel it here?" Fate clenched a fist full of her shirt, her fist over her heart. "Why do I feel nothing here? Why am I here in the first place? Who am I?"

Arf rubbed her head against Fate's arm, whining more.

More tears fell from Nanoha's eyes. The intense pain radiating from Fate's eyes hurt so much. She had to do something. Taking a deep breath to still her tears, Nanoha reached over and put her hand over Fate's fist. The blonde flinched, turning her sorrowful gaze back to Nanoha.

"Fate-chan is Fate-chan," Nanoha said with a smile. "You may not remember any happy memories, but we can start making some new ones right now that you'll never forget."

"Eh?"

"Let's be friends."

Fate looked at the smaller girl in confusion. For such a simple statement, it seemed to have deeper complications to it. Friends? The word was so foreign to her. She understood what it meant, but still.

"How can we become friends?"

"Becoming friends with someone is really simple," Nanoha said with a smile. She rubbed the tears from her eyes. "You just have to call out her name."

Nanoha shifted to kneel next to Fate, facing the blonde directly as she sat on the heels. "I'm Takamachi Nanoha. Just call me Nanoha!"

"Nano…ha?" Fate said hesitantly.

To say this wasn't the least bit awkward for the taller girl was putting things lightly. Fate had only met Nanoha hours ago, Arf too, all of them having no luck in finding Nanoha's family or anyone else familiar looking amongst the ruined city. And to be honest, it shocked Fate that she stayed with the brunette for so long too. Anyone she had passed before in the rubble, dying or just plain screaming, she walked by them as if they never existed in the first place. But something about this Takamachi Nanoha she couldn't ignore. And the same with Arf.

"Yeah! Just like that!" Nanoha said happily at the sound of her name. She could see it. The spark of life in Fate's eyes. She could see it.

"Nanoha…"

"Hai!"

"Nanoha." Wine coloured eyes filled with warmth.

"Hai Fate-chan!" A smile.

"Thank you, Nanoha." Fate smiled at the brunette, the biggest smile she had ever smiled since she had awakened on this day. It was such a great feeling.

"Hai!" Nanoha replied again taking Fate's hand between her own. Her heart absolutely swelled with happiness. Even in this horrible time of suffering and pain, happiness was still there.

"Your hand is sure warm… Nanoha."

Arf stood up in Fate's lap barking happily. The demon wolf put its front paw on Nanoha and Fate's clasped hands much to the girls' shock. Blinking at each other and then turning back to a tongue wagging Arf, both girls laughed, their dire situation forgotten for the moment.

* * *

"Fate-chan!"

Nanoha and Fate were found exhausted and huddled together the next day by the City Guards. Also with them was Yagami Hayate, a short haired brunette they'd come across when they went wandering around the ruins again. Hayate's legs were crushed beneath the debris of her shattered house, Nanoha and Fate staying with the weak and injured girl in the rubble until help arrived. Hayate had been the only survivor of the house collapse, everyone else crushed beneath the debris when the house collapsed. Miraculously, Nanoha's parents had been found an hour earlier and were frantic in their search for their youngest daughter. While Nanoha was eager to join up with her family again, there were complications that had to be dealt with first.

"Fate-chan!"

Arf was immediately surrounded by City Guardsmen the moment they noticed her. With all the demons running amok, they were surprised the beast hadn't attacked the girls and killed them. The moment the guards tried to kill the little orange fox demon, Fate and Nanoha jumped in the way allowing Arf to escape. The City Guards were not pleased by this, but did nothing to discipline the obviously shell shocked children about it. They were probably too young to understand anyhow.

Upon telling the guards their names, Fate was immediately looked upon with scorn. Nanoha was sure she had made out fear in the guards' shocked expressions as well. Two City Guardsmen kept them forcefully apart, even as Nanoha yelled at them to let her stay with her new friend. To stay with Fate. Hayate was quickly freed from the rubble of her house and immediately rushed off to a healer.

They should have never told the guards their names...

"Thank you, Nanoha…" Fate said looking at the struggling brunette sadly. As much as it pained her to be separated from her new friend, Fate knew things had to be this way, at least for the time being. Even as a child, she was not stupid. She knew by the way the guards looked at her, whispering to themselves when they thought she couldn't hear them, that something was different about her. Maybe even dangerous. Which is why she was going to smile until she lost sight of the smaller girl. Because that is the memory she wanted to leave her if they never saw each other again.

"I'll have to leave you for now" Fate continued, making a fist as the tears flowed freely down Nanoha's cheeks. It hurt. "But… I'm sure we'll meet again." A smile. "When we do… is it alright if I call your name again?"

Nanoha sobbed. This was not goodbye, right? This was not goodbye! Why did they have to tell the guards their names? "H-hai!" Nanoha tried her best to put on a brave front. She had promised Fate happy memories, right? So she smiled no matter how much it hurt.

"When I want to see you again… I'll be sure to call out your name. So… please, call out my name, too."

Nanoha nodded, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. But more still fell. One of the guards, taking pity on the girls allowed them one last moment together before they were separated for good. Nanoha held up her battered stuffed rabbit for Fate to take.

Fate tilted her head to the side looking at the tattered stuffed animal in confusion.

"This is all I can give you… so I'll remain in your memories." Nanoha bit her lip, as more tears welled up in her eyes.

Fate smiled, taking the stuffed rabbit from her friend. "Then I'll give you this too." Fate pulled off her long black cloak and covered Nanoha with it. "Thank you… Nanoha."

Nanoha smiled through her tears.

* * *

Japan. Present day.

Burgundy eyes opened slowly, peering down at the figure next to them. Nanoha slept soundly in her futon, her auburn hair sprawled all over her pillow. A black gloved hand pull some brown strands from the sleeping girl's face and tucked them behind Nanoha's ear.

"Fate… chan…" Nanoha murmured in her sleep.

The black garbed figure smiled. They had finally decided what they were going to do. They were not going anywhere, despite the ghosts of the past clawing their way back into their life. They would continue to do what they had always done since they were little. Protecting the ones they cared about the most. And to do that, the Spirit Seeds had to be taken from the hands of those who would exploit their power. Maybe, just maybe, along the way of taking the dangerous Spirit Seeds off the streets, they too would find what they had lost those many years ago when Japan nearly burned to the ground in a blaze of fire.

The assassin in black leaned forward and kissed the sleeping brunette on the forehead. Nanoha murmured happily, a smile curving on her face. The black assassin smiled, pulling up the blanket to Nanoha's shoulders before turning to face the open window. With one final look at the sleeping form, the black garbed assassin leapt onto the windowsill before diving forward into the quiet night air. An onyx scythe with a fist sized yellow magatama jewel floating in the center of the weapon chimed in their hand, already directing its wielder to the closest Spirit Seed for sealing.

_Nanoha. I promise you only happy memories from now on._

Fate Testerossa always kept her promises.

* * *

OMAKE

The assassin in black leaned forward and kissed the sleeping brunette on the forehead. Nanoha murmured happily, a smile curving on her face. The black assassin smiled, pulling up the blanket to Nanoha's shoulders before moving to face the open window. But before they could actually stand, something grabbed onto them and yanked them to the floor. The black assassin squeaked, suddenly finding themselves sprawled on top of a sleeping Nanoha.

Nanoha wrapped her arms around their waist and snuggled her face in the crook of their neck. "Fate-chan..." she said softly.

Wine coloured eyes blinked multiple times, a dark flush painting the black assassin's cheeks red. Nanoha's warm breaths tickled their neck, the brunette's tight grip on their waist pinning them in place on Nanoha's futon. Even with the blanket covering most of Nanoha's body, the black assassin could feel Nanoha's glorious chest against them, the mere thought of the contact making the black garbed assassin suddenly very hot.

Swallowing thickly, the black assassin tried to unravel themselves gently from Nanoha's grip. But the more they tried, the tighter Nanoha held onto them until the brunette rolled in her sleep and ended up half on top the black assassin pinning them to the floor on their back. Nanoha nuzzled her cheek against the assassin's bound chest, the black assassin's face going even more red, the assassin starting to feel faint.

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha murmured. "You smell... good..."

The black assassin gulped. "B-Bardiche, a little help here?" said a quiet voice.

Bardiche chimed softly. **"Sorry Sir,"** the onyx scythe replied. **"You're on your own."**

The black assassin sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Some of you may have recognized the little scene between Nanoha and Fate as children. That's because it was taken directly from the last episode of season one from the anime. _

_As for the OMAKE, that was just a random last minute thing I thought of. Hope you liked it. Hehe. XD_

_Hopefully this chapter clears up any confusion as to why Fate in previous chapters asked her adopted mother not to tell Signum nor Chrono about things. The last time she did say something, she was forcibly removed from her new friend at the time. The blonde hasn't forgotten that incident and wishes not to repeat it._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	28. Demons of the Past

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. _

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ I work really hard to integrate canon stuff with the ancient world I've put the story in. It's not the easiest of things to do, but so far I'm managed. Hehe. _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 27: Demons of the Past ~ ***

"Kyyyyyyyyyya!"

_CRASH!_

Fate's head jerked up from her desk in disorientation. The blonde had fallen asleep while reading her book, only to be startled awake from a commotion downstairs. "Wha-"

Another crash from downstairs. And Lindy screaming.

Fate was on her feet instantly, halfway out of her bedroom by the time sleep was blinked from her eyes. "Bardiche!"

"**Yes Sir!"**

With a flash of Lightning, Bardiche materialized in Fate's hand, its golden fist-sized magatama jewel swirling within the confines of its onyx casing. Taking a flying leap from the top of the stairs, Fate landed in a crouched at the bottom of the stairs, only lingering for a split second before she dashed off towards the kitchen. With her weapon raised, Fate came to a sliding stop in the doorway.

"Kaa-sa-"

Fate's jaw hung open.

Lindy giggled. "Well aren't you an affectionate one."

The teal-haired woman was on the floor of the kitchen, next to the dining table, with her overturned chair next to her. Scattered dishes lay strewn all over the floor, miraculously none of them broken. The eldest Harlaown currently had her attention on the other with her, being licked on the cheek by a full grown demon fox. And not just any full grown demon fox. This a demon fox had a red ruby gem on its forehead and sapphire coloured eyes.

Bardiche immediately reverted to its dormant form.

"A-Arf?"

At the sound of her name, the rust coloured demon turned to look at the doorway.

"Fate!" The demon fox charged at the blonde and tackled her.

"Ack!" Fate exclaimed, falling backwards on her rump from the sudden shift in weight.

"Fate! Fate!" Arf sat on Fate's lap, her front paws on the blonde's shoulders while she licked Fate's cheek excitedly.

"Woah! Arf! Settle down!" Fate said laughing. The demon fox's tongue was tickling her face. Fate tried to gently separate herself from her old friend, but with Arf's new size and weight, that was proving difficult.

"What a pleasant surprise," Lindy said with a smile, watching as Arf continued with her affections. "I shall prepare some tea and we can all talk." Lindy stood up and set a pot of water to boil. She would then go on to clean up the mess on the floor with help of Fate and Arf.

From the top of the stairs, a pair of blue eyes narrowed before disappearing back into the guest room.

* * *

"So you're the little one Fate-chan spoke about," Lindy said in realization.

Fate blushed when Arf looked at her.

"Fate?"

Fate, Lindy and Arf now sat around the dinner table as they conversed. Lindy sat on one end of the table with Fate sitting to her right. To Fate's right was Arf, the demon fox sitting on the chair resting back on her hind legs. Mugs of tea sat in front of Lindy and Fate, while a bowl of tea sat in front of Arf.

"Little Fate-chan wouldn't stop looking for you," Lindy continued, a smile widening on her face. "Even after being adopted into the family."

"K-Kaa-san!" Fate exclaimed in embarrassment, the blonde's cheeks turning red. "Arf doesn't need to know that."

Lindy merely grinned, chuckling as Fate struggled to contain her blush.

"I missed you too Fate," Arf said, nuzzling Fate.

Fate raised her hand to stroke Arf's now impressive dark red mane. "I was worried the Keibi had caught you after you escaped," Fate said quietly. She hugged the demon wolf around the shoulders, pressing her cheek against Arf's.

"They didn't get me, Fate," Arf said, wagging her tongue. She very much liked being cuddled. "I hid." A teethy smile.

"That must have been quite the hiding spot," Lindy said sipping her tea. It was truly heartwarming to see Fate as affectionate as she was right now. Very rarely did the blonde show this softer side to her unless it was with Nanoha or, on a very rare occasion, Lindy.

"I know for a fact the Keibi and the Samurai scoured the city from top to bottom after that incident, to ensure there were no lingering threats to the people."

"They wouldn't find me where I went," Arf barked. "I went back to Al Hazard."

Lindy stiffened, gripping her mug in a white knuckled hold.

"No one found me there," Arf continued, oblivious to Lindy's reaction. "But only for a few days. I knew Fate would be worried, so I came back."

"Al Hazard?" Fate questioned, the blonde also failing to notice the colour draining from her adopted mother's face. "A few days?" Fate blinked at her furry friend in surprise. "Arf, it's been more than ten years since I last saw you."

"Huh?"

The grip on Lindy's tea mug tightened, the teal-haired woman setting it down before she actually crushed it in her grip. Fate and Arf meanwhile, continued their confused conversation, wondering just how only a few days for Arf turned out to be over ten years for Fate. The discussion soon strayed into what Al Hazard looked like, from floating islands to magical displays of power. Fate's eyes widened in awe and wonder as the demon fox described the mythical world, the place where magic began. What Arf spoke of would usually only be found in story books, ones filled with myths and legends. But Lindy knew this was no fairy tale. It was real.

Al Hazard. The place which was sought by many, yet found by none. And the very reason behind the tragedy which happened ten years ago. Many people died that day, many precious people, and Lindy couldn't but feel apprehensive about it all. The fact that Arf, a demon from Al Hazard, was here, in her kitchen, talking about that mythical place again, caused great concern for the eldest Harlaown. Was the door open again? Would another tragedy befall the country? Who else would have to die because of it? Lindy's free hand balled into a knuckle white fist on her lap.

"Sugoi! That sounds really neat Arf!" Fate said, breaking Lindy out of her silent reverie.

Arf barked in excitement. "It's really pretty over there Fate," the demon fox said, her tail thumping against the back of the chair. "I can show you how to get there if you want."

Lindy chose that specific time to intervene, clearing her throat. "That truly sounds out of this world Arf," she began, "But no one will be making any night trips at this hour."

The teal haired woman looked out the nearest window, at the pitch black night. "If memory serves me correctly, I believe you're having tea with Shamal-san tomorrow Fate-chan, are you not?"

Burgundy coloured eyes widened. "That's right!" Fate gasped. She smiled sheepishly at Lindy. "I almost forgot."

Lindy chuckled at her daughter's forgetfulness.

"Shamal-san?" Arf repeated, looking between the two Harlaowns. "Who's that? Can I meet her too?"

Fate and Lindy looked at each other hesitantly. "Um... how about we talk about that tomorrow morning?" Lindy said, deflecting the question. "It is quite late already."

"Okies." Arf smiled, satisfied with that answer, once again showing the multiple rows of sharp teeth she had. The demon fox jumped off her chair to leave.

"Arf?" Fate questioned.

"Time for me to go," the demon said. "I don't want to get you in trouble again." There was a sorrowful tremble in Arf's voice, the look in her eyes just as heartbreaking. Arf didn't want to leave her friend, having just found her again, but the memories of the past weren't so easily forgotten.

"Don't be silly," Lindy said, also rising to her feet. "Any friend of Fate-chan's is a friend of the family."

Fate's jaw dropped open. "You mean that Kaa-san?"

"Of course I do, Fate-chan." A smile. "What kind of Okaa-san would I be if I kicked your friend out of the house at this hour? She can stay."

Stunned silence.

"Thank you Kaa-san!" Fate exclaimed, startling Lindy with a tight hug. "Thank you!"

Lindy, getting over her initial shock, wrapped her arms around Fate's shoulders to hug her back. This was the first time since Lindy adopted Fate that the blonde had initiated a hug with her. It was usually the other way around. Lindy smiled, truly touched by the affection.

"But on one condition," Lindy added as an addendum, pulling back from the blonde after the hug.

Both Fate and Arf looked at the eldest Harlaown.

"Arf-chan has to promise not to cause any trouble."

Fate and Arf looked at each other blinking. Fate smiled, tilting her head at Lindy. Turning back to the older Harlaown, the demon fox smiled again. She barked happily in agreement, before jumping on Lindy and licking her face. Fate could only giggle as Lindy yelped in surprise at the sudden affection again. But before she could pull her furry friend off her adopted mother, Arf went rigid, her jovial expression turning vicious. Before either of the women could blink, the demon fox zipped out of the kitchen and out the back door barking menacingly.

"Arf!"

"Arf-chan!"

Fate and Lindy were hot on Arf's paws, both women chasing the demon outside and into the backyard. Fate, the faster of the two, caught up to the demon fox first, just narrowly managing to grab her around the shoulders before the demon got any further.

"Arf!" Fate repeated. "Calm down! There's nothing there!"

Arf continued to growl menacingly at some unseen thing in the pitch blackness beyond the gates of their residence. Lindy looked around in concern, fearing the neighbours would cause a commotion if they realized what Arf truly really was.

Unseen to all except Arf, a darkly clad figure escaped via rooftop, to the sound of buzzing.

* * *

"My Lord."

"Uno! What a pleasant surprise!" Jail turned his attention away from his work table to face his assistant. "Excellent timing! Come in, come in. I've just had a breakthrough in my research. Let's celebrate!"

Uno smiled at the invitation but shook her head. "That's wonderful news, my Lord," she said. "But unfortunately, I am unable to accept your request."

Jail sighed in disappointment. "It's those brats again, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper, isn't it?"

Uno nodded. "They still elude my sisters. And when we do cross paths with them, efforts to subdue them are not successful."

Jail nodded as his assistant explained the situation. He shrugged. "It will only be a matter of time," Jail said. "Don't fret." A smile. "In the meantime, I assume you've come to me with a reason?"

"Yes, my Lord," Uno replied. "Lutecia has reported in."

"Ah Lutecia," Jail said fondly. "How is my little spy doing?"

"Quite successful actually," Uno answered. "The door to Al Hazard has been found. The Garden of Time is now accessible again."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Keibi = Guard (used in the context of this story, it's meant to represent the City Guards)_

_Sugoi = Amazing_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	29. What Do You Want From Me?

**Of ****Assassins, ****Samurai,**** and ****Magic**

_**A/N**__:__ And __the __next__ chapter __is__ up!__ I__'__ve__ tried __to__ keep__ everyone__ as __close__ as __possible __to__ their __characters__ in__ the__ anime__ though __I__'__m__ sure __there__ will__ be__ a__ few__ OOC__ moments. __Comments__ and __reviews__ are __much __appreciated._

_Wow! Over 200+ reviews! Thanks everyone! You rock! :)_

_On a random note, FFnet is being glitchy and deleting the spaces between words for some lines. I've fixed that now, but who knows if it will actually stay that way. =\  
_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review! :) And thanks for your kind words. I do what I can to make the integration as seamless as possible. I'm glad to hear it's working well. ^^_

_Qns - Thanks for the review. ^^ Hopefully I can clear up the confusion when my reply here. Yep, Fate, Nanoha and Hayate are all around the same age. Shamal is roughly about 10 years older than Hayate. As for Jail, with him being the obvious bad guy, can you really trust what he says? XD About Fate's birth, it was suspected she was born from the magic which exploded in the world in that incident ten years ago. Having known Precia's obsession to revive her dead daughter, that's what they were assuming when they found Fate as it was clear that Fate was not Alicia. But that really hasn't been proven yet, hence there lies the possibility that Fate could have just been related to Precia for real, being a real person, which is why Jail's claim as her father could be true. Hopefully that clears things up for you. ^^ _

_Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__:__ The __characters __and__ the__ worlds __I __write __in __do __not__ belong __to __me.__ The __stories __that__ I__ write__ are__ intended__ for__ entertainment__ purposes.__ I__ do __not __make __any__ money__ from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter28: What Do You Want From Me? ~ ***

"Nanoha."

The said person flinched, freezing in their spot in the hallway between bedrooms. Nanoha was on her way over to Miyuki's room, fully garbed in white, when Kyouya's voice shattered the quiet air. Raging Heart was strapped to her back, glowing a soft red.

It had been a long day for the brunette, Nanoha having just closed up Midori-ya for the night half an hour ago. As exhausted as she was, she needed to patrol tonight, even if only doing one loop around the city instead of her typical three. Having missed a few nights of patrol last week, the brunette couldn't but feel guilty the next mornings when news had spread of incidents during those nights involving Spirit Seeds. More families were torn apart, more parents and children dead in the aftermath. Nanoha made a silent vow to never let that happen again, no matter how tired she was. No one deserved to go through that pain.

"Nanoha," Kyouya repeated having received no reply to his first call.

The white assassin jumped, her older brother's voice tearing her from her thoughts. She swallowed nervously, violet eyes glancing between Miyuki's room and Kyouya's room.

"H-hai, Nii-san?" Nanoha feigned innocence, making her way over to stand at Kyouya's bedroom doorway. "Did you need me to heat up the foo-"

"Where are you sneaking off to at such a late hour?"

Shimatta. She'd been caught.

Nanoha swallowed, faking confusion. "What do you mean Nii-san? I was just-"

"Nanoha." Kyouya's voice was firm, yet he did not shout. "Where are you going?"

Nanoha withered significantly under that tone. It was a tone that said he knew exactly what she was up to, and no amount of excuses would convince him otherwise.

"I..." Nanoha clenched her fist, shaking. "I was just going over to Fate-chan's house." A blatant lie. And Nanoha knew that Kyouya knew she was lying.

Unbearable silence.

Nanoha swallowed nervously again, the brunette starting to sweat when she received no reaction from her older sibling. "N-Nii-sa-"

"Come here."

Nanoha winced at the command, taking a few seconds trying to calm her nerves. "H-hai..." Reluctantly obeying, the brunette slowly walked into Kyouya's pitch black room to stand next to his futon.

Had it not been for Raging Heart's soft glow, Nanoha probably would have ended up tripping over Kyouya's futon and Kyouya himself in the process. The white assassin knelt down next to her brother, noting the empty plate of food next to him.

"Take this."

For the fifth time in the span of minutes, Nanoha was startled, the youngest Takamachi flinching again when a wrapped bundle was shoved into her hands. A rough string bound together what looked to be a large leaf binding something.

"It's Hctip root," Kyouya said before Nanoha could ask about it. "It changes the pitch of your voice, masking your identity should you run into someone you wish you hadn't."

Violet eyes widened in surprise. "Nii-san..."

"Upon eating it, it only lasts a couple of hours," Kyouya continued. The blind man turned his head towards Nanoha, resting his hand on her shoulder. He frowned slightly when he felt her jump.

"I don't know what you're searching for Imouto, but promise me one thing."

Nanoha forced down the lump in her throat. "W-what's that?"

"No matter what happens, you stay safe."

Nanoha felt tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She sniffled. "Hai!"

* * *

"Divine Buster!"

It didn't take long for the White Devil to find what she was looking for. In fact, it happened a lot faster than she liked. Much too fast. One moment she was running along the rooftops through the western edge of the Middle District, only to feel a burst of enormous magical energy coming from the north minutes later.

A beam of pure pink magic tore through the road, sending bodies hurtling into the air. By the time the dust settled from the explosion, there were over ten lesser assassins and thieves groaning on the ground in various positions. None of them had been hurt too badly, just tossed around enough to leave them immobile while the White Devil collected her quarry.

"Spirit Seed Seal!"

"**Sealing**** Mode.**** Set****up.****"**

Wings of pink magic expanded from Raging Heart's magatama gemstone, the white marble staff itself vibrating with energy. Ribbons of white magic shot outwards from the staff, swirling around the sole Spirit Seed in the area, binding it with holy light.

"**Stand****by.**** Ready.****"**

The Spirit Seed crackled with energy, trying to nullify the magic binding it to no avail. Cracks formed in the ground underneath the Spirit Seed, its chaotic power rebelling under the White Devil's sealing magic.

"Seal!"

"**Sealing.****"**

An explosion of magic lit up the area, blinding all within fifty feet. Then everything went dark again and things were silent. The now sealed Spirit Seed floated towards Raging Heart as if sucked towards it by a vacuum. The blue magatama jewel vanishing once it connected with the fist-sized red magatama jewel that was Raging Heart.

The White Devil panted slightly, shoulders hunched forward, her breaths coming out in gasps. She rested against the upright Raging Heart while she caught her breath, tired. But as tired as she was, the white assassin couldn't linger too long. The night was still young and there were still many Spirit Seeds to take out of misappropriating hands. The White Devil made a mental note to take a nap before going on night patrol the next time. Spending all day in Midori-ya cooking was hard enough. To patrol right after that was even worse. This was going to be a long night.

"_Kisama!_"

The White Devil spun around in surprise, having not heard one of the downed assassins rise shakily to their feet.

"What have you done with that Spirit Seed!"

Before she could even blink, shurikens were sent spinning in her direction, the White Devil bringing up Raging Heart to defend.

**"****Protection!****"**

A bubble of pink magic materialized around her, the metal throwing stars bouncing off of the barrier harmlessly. As the barrier disappeared, violet eyes widened when the White Devil realized she had lost sight of the assassin.

The sound of an unsheathing sword.

"**Flash ****Move!****"**

_BOOM!_

An explosion of magic erupted behind the White Devil, engulfing a yelp. The White Devil, now ten feet away from her original position and crouched on a nearby rooftop, narrowed her eyes as she watched the smoke fade and the dust settle. Pink puffs of magic disappeared from her ankles. The assassin she had originally lost sight of was now in a crumpled heap at the epicentre of where the explosion took place. Violet coloured eyes strayed upwards, locking onto a black garbed figure, standing on a rooftop just opposite hers.

"Careful," the other assassin said. "Assassins can be tricky."

The Thunder Reaper watched as the White Devil rose to their feet and straightened up. A breath of relief escaped the Thunder Reaper's lips as for a tense moment, she didn't think she'd make it in time. Having sensed the familiar magical presence nearby, the black garbed assassin came to investigate. And what she found was the White Devil with their back to another lesser assassin who was poised to strike. Thanks the gods they were the faster of the two.

"You have my thanks," the White Devil said, turning her gaze away from the other assassin for a moment. She would need to leave here soon. Without a doubt the City Guards and Samurai were already on their way over to investigate this disturbance. Despite that fact, the White Devil didn't move from her spot. She wanted to know more about this Thunder Reaper, a person so like herself yet so mysterious. Why were they also after the Spirit Seeds? And why hadn't they attacked her yet for the ones that she carried?

"I am still in your debt," the Thunder Reaper said with a respectful bow.

"Debt?" The White Devil raised an eyebrow. What a strange thing to say. For an assassin that is. The White Devil had yet to meet another assassin who said such a thing. Debt for what?

"We should not linger here," the Thunder Reaper continued. "The Keibi and the Samurai are probably on their way here already."

This was a good sign. The White Devil was talking with her. She wanted that. The Thunder Reaper wanted to figure out why the White Devil was after the Spirit Seeds. But even more so, she wanted to figure out why they had saved her, twice now, once as Fate Testerossa and the other as the Thunder Reaper.

The White Devil opened her mouth to retort, only to jerk her head to the side at the sound of booted feet streets away. Turning back to the Thunder Reaper, the White Devil bowed her head. "Tonight, you have my thanks," the White Devil said. "But do not think it shall happen again."

"Wait!" The Thunder Reaper called out, a hand reaching for the retreating White Devil in vain. That was not how she wanted things to go. They still had so much to talk about! She had so much to find out about! Gods be damned! The White Devil was not going to get away from her that easily!

* * *

"Why did you follow me?"

Her voice sounded so strange to her ears. Despite understanding what Kyouya had told her about the Hctip root, with it changing the pitch of her voice, to hear her voice sounding almost as deep as a man's was really weird. The White Devil stopped in her tracks but did not turn around to face her pursuer.

The Thunder Reaper took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Despite being quick on her feet, the White Devil really knew how to run fast. But why come to the local graveyard? That was the current question on the Thunder Reaper's mind. The black assassin shivered. She never liked it here.

A sigh.

"Why did you follow me?" The White Devil repeated. She turned around to face the Thunder Reaper. She had hoped the other assassin would get the message to leave her alone after her speed exit. But it appears things turned out quite the opposite, the Thunder Reaper having followed her here.

"I have to know," the Thunder Reaper replied.

Violet eyes narrowed at burgundy ones. The White Devil knew the Thunder Reaper was masking their real voice somehow, as it had a fake feeling to the sound. Perhaps they too used the Hctip root or maybe it was some sort of magical thing. Whatever it was, there was something oddly familiar sounding about their voice. Their unusually coloured crimson eyes also nagged at staff wielder, the White Devil knowing of only one person who shared similar coloured eyes. But that was definitely not Fate standing in front of her right now. She had checked in on the blonde to ensure she was safe at home before going on patrol. When the White Devil passed by the Harlaown residence over an hour ago, Fate was indeed safe, reading in her room while sitting at her desk. Little did the White Devil realize, that was just before the Thunder Reaper decided to go patrolling a bit for themself.

The White Devil crossed her arms over her chest, Raging Heart strapped to her back. "What is it you want to know? You can ask, but it doesn't mean I'll answer."

The Thunder Reaper expected that response. For weeks now, they had been dancing around the issue. Around each other. If one of them got to a Spirit Seed first, the other would leave them be and they'd go in opposite directions. This was the first time they actually talked face to face. Nevertheless, both of them were weary of each other, the White Devil more so. And with good reason. She had said it herself. Assassins could be tricky.

"Why do you seek the Spirit Seeds?"

"Why do you?"

A question for a question. The White Devil was not about to let the Thunder Reaper get under her skin. Not that they hadn't done so already. The White Devil just had too much at stake here. She couldn't afford to mess up now. It was hard to tell if the Thunder Reaper was a friend or foe, and while she leaned towards the former, the white assassin couldn't but be fearful.

The Thunder Reaper sighed. She expected that response too. Sometimes you had to give a little to get a little back. "To stop the pain," she replied.

The White Devil blinked. "What?" She wasn't expecting the Thunder Reaper to actually answer her.

Burgundy eyes looked to the side, at a familiar headstone next to them. "Someone close to me was hurt because of them. Others have died because of them. So I collect the Spirit Seeds in the hopes of stopping all the pain they caused."

The White Devil was stunned. There was such pain in those blood coloured eyes, a familiar pain. And it left the White Devil trembling. "Y-you think you can get them all?" The White Devil silently cursed herself for the stutter.

The Thunder Reaper nodded.

The White Devil scowled. "You're a fool." Or so she said. Yet here she was, trying to do the same thing. Except, the only difference was, she didn't have the conviction to say it out loud, nor to someone else.

"Maybe I am," the Thunder Reaper said defiantly. Crimson eyes burned with a fury the White Devil had never seen before. "But no matter how impossible it may seem, I will do it. No matter what. That was the silent vow I made to her."

The White Devil blinked. "Her?"

_CLAP!__ CLAP!__ CLAP!_

Both the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper flinched, the black and white assassins horrified to realize that they were now surrounded by four other assassins, all dressed in blue. The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper spun around, drawing their weapons, standing back to back with each other.

"How touching!" one of the assassins in blue said. She clapped a few more times. On her back was the insignia 'IV'. "Please, don't stop on our accounts. Things were just getting good." A grin.

The White Devil gritted her teeth. How had she not sensed them before now? She should have felt their presence a mile away, yet, she hadn't. If she didn't feel it, Raging Heart would have notified her of it. But her beloved staff didn't. It was like it didn't sense these assassins. How was that possible?

On the other side of the White Devil, the Thunder Reaper was berating herself for the same thing. How had they surrounded them without her knowing? And just who were these people? What did they want? Black gloved hands clenched at Bardiche tighter.

"Oh? Not talkative anymore? A shame." The assassin in blue tsked.

"What do you want?" the White Devil ground out.

A laugh. "Why you're lovely weapons there and your Spirit Seeds," the blue assassin stated in a matter- of-fact tone. "And you two, of course. Why ever else would we hunt you down over three districts? To have midnight tea?" Another laugh.

Violet coloured eyes darted left and right, searching for an opening. If they could just find a way out-

"Don't bother," the assassin in blue rambled on. "You can't escape. You're outnumbered four to two."

"Then how about we even the odds," said a new voice.

"**Swallow Flier!"**

The four blue assassins leapt backwards as four simultaneous explosions erupted where they once stood. The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper called forth protection barriers to defend themselves, but that was not necessary.

When the dust settled, four large and deep craters marked the ground around the assassin pair. All assassins jerked their heads to the side, eyes widening as Signum and Vita walked into the local graveyard with their weapons drawn.

"So you're the ones causing all the trouble tonight." Vita spat her words, narrowing her eyes at all assassins. Blue eyes specifically lingered on the assassins in blue. Graf Eisen's handle rested against her shoulder.

Signum raised Levantine and pointed it at the assassins in blue. Technically she should have pointed it at all of the assassins, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper included. But neither of them had killed anyone so far, only seeking to relieve others of their Spirit Seeds. The blue assassins however, belonging to the Numbers clan, killed anyone who got in their way. The body count had already soared into the double digits.

"By the order of the Empress, put down your weapons and surrender!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ The Hctip root is something I completely made up. It's not based on anything in the real world that I know of._

_For__ those__ of__ you__ unfamiliar __with__ the __non-English__ words,__ I__ have __translated __them__ below._

_Ile __ No_

_Hai = Yes_

_Nii-san/Onii-san = __Big __Brother_

_Imouto__ = Younger__ Sister_

_Kisama__ = You__ (usually__ used__ to__ show__ the__ speaker's __extreme__ hostility__/__outrage__ towards __the__ addressee)_

_Keibi = Guard (used in the context of this story, it's meant to represent the City Guards)_

_For__ an __explanation__ of__ Japanese __honorifics __(eg.__[name]-sama),__ please__ check__out: __http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	30. Confrontation at the Cafe of Midoriya

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: I have a special announcement to make! From this point onwards, I will be posting updates for this story on a weekly basis instead of a bi-weekly basis. With the story nearing its end, I figured I'd treat you all to faster updates. I hope you enjoy them!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review! ^^ I'm very flattered. *blushes* I can only hope the remaining chapters for the story are equally exciting for you. There's a lot planned, as evident by this chapter, and I can only imagine what everyone else's reactions will be to them. Hehe. Thanks again for the comments. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 29: Confrontation at the Cafe of Midori-ya ~ ***

"Signum? Vita-chan?"

The two said people froze in their tracks, right in the middle of the corridor. The pair was in the process of sneaking past the Empress' chambers for their own respective rooms, but now it seemed that was no longer possible. Hayate always did have this unusual sixth sense of sorts when it came to them. Reluctantly, Signum was the first of the two to face the brunette.

"Hai Hayate-sama?" The moment Signum turned around to answer the Empress, she immediately regretted it.

Blue eyes widened at the state of Signum's appearance. "What happened!" Hayate exclaimed.

The Empress rushed up to the Captain of the Samurai, immediately noting the line of blood across the pinkette's left cheek. Signum's cloak also sported various slashes in it, the samurai's armor scratched up worse than Hayate had ever seen it. Turning to her cousin, Hayate was horrified to find Vita in a similar state of dress.

"Stars and Lightning," Vita mumbled. She didn't meet the brunette's gaze. "We tracked them down, only to be attacked by the Numbers."

* * *

_~ Half an hour ago ~_

"Purple Lightning Flash!"

Flames tore through the air, Levantine's fiery blade decapitating yet another illusion. The blue assassin who was currently facing the samurai, their insignia being 'IV', merely smirked at the pinkette as two more illusions took the place of the destroyed one.

"Oya?" the blue assassin mocked. "That wasn't me either." A laugh. "Better luck next time!"

Signum gritted her teeth before slashing at yet another illusion. The White Devil currently struggled with another of the Numbers assassins in the background.

"**Swallow Flier!"**

Vita roared as Graf Eisen smashed against the four fist size metal balls hovering in the air in front of her. The steel balls took off like rockets, arcing towards the Numbers assassin she currently fought with. Somewhere off to Vita's right, the Thunder Reaper was just barely holding their own against the fourth of the blue assassins.

"Is that the best you got!"

The blue assassin fighting Vita, her insignia being 'IX', pulled back her fist before punching forward, her metal gauntlet meeting the first of the projectiles sent her way. The steel ball exploded into dust upon contact, the Numbers assassin immediately flipping backwards to avoid the second projectile, stopping mid flip to perform a handstand spinning kick which destroyed the remaining two projectiles.

Vita growled at how easily her attacks were dealt with, gripping at Graf Eisen tighter. "Try this on for size!" she exclaimed.

**"Raketenhammer!"**

* * *

_~ Back to the present. ~_

"We only just parted ways," Signum continued, having finished recounting the battle from before. They had since moved to the Empress' chambers, now sitting on the couches near Hayate's bookshelves of tomes. Shamal joined them moments later and was attending to Signum's and Vita's injuries. Signum grimaced slightly as the blonde spread ointment over the cut on her cheek.

"The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper escaped, as did the Numbers," Signum spat out bitterly. Shamal's gentle squeeze on her shoulder did little to soothe the samurai's anger and shame over her inability to capture the assassins.

Hayate frowned. The Numbers were starting to become a real issue as of late, Signum and Vita having not been the only ones to encounter them. If it weren't for the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper... Hayate could only shiver at the thought of what her capital city would look like with only the Numbers being the dominant clan. Signum and her Samurai could only do so much. The City Guards the same. They couldn't be everywhere at the same time, all the time.

Hayate's gaze strayed from the pinkette, to the table nearby where a copy of Carim's prophecy lay. The brunette's eyes narrowed on two specific lines of text.

_Stars and Lightning vow for the celestials,_

_To destroy the seeping taint._

What part Stars and Lightning had to play in the coming days, the Empress didn't know. But it was quite evident that they were important in stopping the coming darkness that was foreseen by the Oracle's last remaining descendent. That meant they had to survive at all costs.

"Signum," Hayate said, breaking the tense silence.

"Hai Hayate-sama?"

"When you see the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper next, tell them I wish an audience with them."

"W-what?"

All of Hayate's knights stared at her in shock. Zafira too, the demon wolf lying quietly on the floor to the left of the couch. Had the Empress lost her mind?

"Respectfully, Hayate-sama," Shamal said speaking up. "Is that really wise? They are-"

"They may very well be the key to stopping the coming darkness," Hayate interrupted. "You've all read Carim-sama's prophecy. You know what's at stake."

Everyone remained silent.

"If they were to fall, what do you think would happen?"

Signum pursed her lips together, looking away. Vita clenched at the armrest of the couch, glaring at the floor.

"I have a really bad feeling about all of this," Hayate said in no more than a whisper. Her eyes went to the copy of the prophecy again. "Something doesn't feel right-"

_WHOOSH!_

The doors to Hayate's room burst open, Signum's lieutenant barrelling into the room in a frazzle. "Empress!" Vice Granscenic exclaimed. "T-T-Taichou!" he said moments later, once realizing Hayate was not alone.

Signum was on her feet in an instant, Levantine already drawn at the intrusion. "Taii-san, explain yourself!"

Vita scowled at the man for his blatant show of disrespect, Zafira growling as well. Shamal merely looked at the samurai in surprise.

"My apologies," the brunette said breathlessly, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "But I have news of the utmost importance!"

"Well spit it out already!" Vita growled in annoyance.

"There's been another attack in the Middle District," Vice said quickly. "The Harlaowns-"

Five pairs of eyes went wide.

"They were attacked by the Numbers!" the Lieutenant finished in a rushed breath.

Signum was out the door in an instant.

* * *

The White Devil sucked in a pained breath, wheezing as she held her left side. She barely escaped the four-way fight just half an hour ago, but not without injury. Thankfully, nothing was broken, nor was she slashed to pieces. But ribs were bruised, and the skin covering them was already turning a dark purple colour. She was also utterly exhausted, having to expel as much magic as she did in such a short period of time.

Taking a moment to catch her breath again, the White Devil pushed herself away from the wall she rested against and forced her body to make the final few steps home. Midori-ya was within sight, the white assassin currently taking refuge in one of the many alleyways nearby. It was only a matter of sneaking through Miyuki's bedroom window now, and she would be home safe.

Making her way up to the roof and taking a quick glance around, the White Devil failed to notice the lack of samurai patrolling the area. Ever since the day that she and Fate cooked for the Empress, she noted a significant increase of samurai in the area. That was probably Signum's doing, the Captain of the Samurai wanting to keep them safe. While she appreciated the extra protection (not that she really needed it), it tended to be a hassle when trying to sneak out at night without being caught. Tonight however, she had no trouble making it into the second floor of the Takamachi residence, the white assassin thinking nothing of it. That is, until she set foot inside.

The White Devil tensed the moment she jumped from the windowsill to the floor inside. There was an eerie quiet to the place, a lifeless atmosphere enveloping the building. Never had there been such a feeling here before. Unhooking Raging Heart from her back, the White Devil cautiously pulled open the paper door to her sister's room and ventured into the darkened hallway.

Quiet.

It was too quiet.

Then she noticed it.

A horrified gasp escaped her lips.

The paper door to her room was slashed cleanly in half, articles of her personal belongings skewed all over the floor. Clothes were ripped, pictures of her family were torn to pieces, and the glass frames holding those pictures were nothing but fragments of chipped glass on the ground. Violet eyes immediately turned to Kyouya's room, further widening at the disarray.

"Nii-san!"

The White Devil dashed into her older sibling's room only to find the same destruction and horror found in her room. Except in here, it was much, much worse. On top of broken furniture and shredded clothes, there was also blood. Her brother's blood. But no body. The White Devil collapsed to her knees as the sight of Kyouya's prized sword on the floor in pieces.

"Ile..."

**"Master!"**

Being so caught up in her despair, the White Devil didn't notice the others in the room with her. That is, until she was sent sprawling to the floor from a daze inducing smash to the back. Raging Heart went skittering across the floor, only stopping in its movement when a black booted foot came down upon its shaft. It took the White Devil a few seconds to get her wits about her, a hand on her head as she shook away the haze. When she finally looked up, violet eyes immediately landed on her attackers. One of them had Raging Heart under their foot.

Were they the ones who attacked Kyouya?

"_Kisama!_"

Just that thought alone made her blood boil.

The White Devil lunged forward, her left fist pulled back as she darted towards the smaller of the two assailants. The taller one disappeared in a blur of motion, a split second later, the White Devil finding the very air from her lungs being forcibly expelled by steel bending punch to the stomach.

_CRASH!_

The White Devil fell out of the newly made crater in the wall and collapsed to her knees on the floor. She gasped and wheezed for breath, both arms holding her mid section as she fought for air. Globs of crimson hit the floor in droplets, staining the face mask of the White Devil red.

A flash of steel.

"Garyu."

A sharpened blade stopped just an inch short of the White Devil's neck. The taller of the black assassins turned to look back at their partner.

"Who... are you...?" the White Devil rasped out. Pain filled violet eyes looked up at the smaller assassin. "What... do you want...?"

"Who I am is unimportant," the little assassin replied. "But if you must know, I am but a mere apprentice."

The White Devil was surprised to hear the soft, feminine voice which answer her. Very much child-like in her assessment of the assassin, which explained why she was so much shorter than the other one. The taller assassin still held a blade to her neck.

"And it is not so much what I want, but rather, what my Master wants," the apprentice assassin continued. "You two have met, in case you're wondering." A pregnant pause. "The Thunder Reaper."

All the colour drained out of the White Devil's face.

"W-what?"

Just under an hour ago, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper fought back to back, along with Vita and Signum, against the four assassins from the Numbers clan. If the Thunder Reaper had wanted to attack her directly, he had more than ample opportunity in that brawl as well as the other times they had met in the past. Never once did the Thunder Reaper show any signs of aggression in previous encounters, though. So why now?

"I do not know what your connection is to the man who lived here," the apprentice assassin continued, breaking the White Devil out of her thoughts. "But it was my Master who took him away, knowing you'd be more cooperative if he had... collateral."

The White Devil gritted her teeth, ignoring the taste of copper in her mouth. "What do you want?"

"The Spirit Seeds you've collected," replied the small assassin. The girl stooped down to retrieve Raging Heart from under her foot.

The White Devil made a fist. So he did want them after all. But why go to this extent? How did he even find out who she was? The white assassin closed her eyes and bowed her head. She thought he was different from the others. She hoped he was different from the others. But apparently he was not. She should have known better.

"If he wanted that," the White Devil said through clenched teeth. "All he had to do was say so! I would have given them to him if it meant leaving us alone!"

"**Put out."**

Raging Heart chimed audibly, the Spirit Seeds the White Devil had collected so far, seven in total, materializing in the air around it.

"**Received,"** the small assassin's legendary weapon chimed, the Spirit Seeds darting towards the black assassin's gauntlets before disappearing again.

"Now give Kyouya back!"

"Garyu."

The one named Garyu, something not human the White Devil finally noticed, disappeared from in front of her and back to his partner's side. The Thunder Reaper's apprentice shook her head.

"You still need to complete one more task before Kyouya-san is returned."

The White Devil clenched her jaw. "And what is that?"

"Bring my Master five more Spirit Seeds."

"I gave you all that I had!" The White Devil coughed immediately after her outburst, a pained groan escaping her lips as more red trickled down her chin.

"Then obtain five more," the apprentice assassin said. She tossed Raging Heart to the White Devil, the weapon clanking to the floor just in front of the white assassin.

The White Devil's reaction was immediate.

Raging Heart was snatched up from the ground and instantly pointed at the small assassin and Garyu. Garyu jumped in front of his partner, ready to defend.

"If any harm were to come to me, my Master would execute the one known as Takamachi Kyouya without hesitation."

The White Devil froze.

Seeing no further movement from the white garbed assassin, the apprentice assassin continued to speak. "The choice is yours White Devil," she said. "Either you get those remaining Spirit Seeds and save Takamachi-san, or you kill me now and never see him again."

* * *

"Kuso!"

The Thunder Reaper cursed for the fifth time in the span of minutes, dropping down into the alleyway near her house. After a tiring battle involving the White Devil, the Numbers Clan, along with Signum and some red head, the Thunder Reaper just barely managed to escape the madness without pursuit. But she was not unscathed. Her right arm was numb, having been badly bruised but miraculously not broken after a near fatal attack. Had her reflexes been any slower, she would have lost the limb from the elbow down. Thankfully that was not the case and she managed to get only a glancing blow. Nevertheless, it hurt like hell.

"Kuso!" she cursed again, ducking around the corner to escape the peering gaze of a samurai.

For whatever reason, there were way too many samurai lingering around the area. The city guards too. This was the ninth one she had to evade on her way home. So far she hadn't been caught, but if the samurai and guards kept popping up at this rate, she wouldn't be able to hide from them much longer. Signum had trained them well. So had Chrono.

The padding of light steps.

The Thunder Reaper spun around instantly, Bardiche brandished at the one trying to sneak up on her. Wine coloured eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Erio. The boy was holding Friedrich in his arms along with a bundle of cloth.

"You-"

"Hurry up and put this on," Erio said quickly, tossing a bundle of clothes at the Thunder Reaper.

The Thunder Reaper caught the bundle in surprise, burgundy coloured eyes widening further when she realized it was her favorite kimono and her thick black cloak.

"What-"

"I know it's you Fate-san," Erio said, peering around the corner to see if the samurai or guards had spotted them yet. So far so good. He turned back to the Thunder Reaper.

The Thunder Reaper swallowed thickly.

"I recognized your weapon the moment I saw it," Erio continued. "I saw it back when you dashed passed our room the day that demon fox wandered into the house."

The Thunder Reaper paled considerably. She had completely forgotten about Erio and Caro that day, the day that Arf returned. She was so used to the house being empty aside from herself or Lindy that she didn't think anyone else would see her.

"Erio-kun, I-"

"I didn't tell anyone," Erio interrupted, much to the Thunder Reaper's relief. The red head turned his face away, looking at the closest wall.

Just why was he helping her again? She was an assassin, no different from those other assassins and thugs who killed his parents, killed Caro's parents, all in the quest for those damned Spirit Seeds! Yet... Fate had saved him, and Caro, more than once, and let them into her home, asking for nothing in return. Maybe she wasn't like those other assassins and thugs. And perhaps it was that very reason that Erio was helping her now. Because he believed she could maybe even fix the bad things going on now.

"Look, I don't have much time to explain," Erio said in a rushed tone. The longer they lingered here, the more likely they'd get caught. "Put that on quickly. We need to get you back to the house before anyone else thinks something's wrong."

But the Thunder Reaper wasn't done asking questions yet.

"What's going on Erio-kun?" The assassin asked. "Why are there so many Samurai and Keibi around tonight?"

Erio hesitated, looking around the corner again. "We were... attacked by assassins wearing blue an hour ago," he reluctantly admitted.

The Thunder Reaper felt ready to faint. They were attacked? Oh gods. She had snuck out of the house without anyone knowing, and in her absence, her family was attacked. Was someone hurt? Did someone die? If she had been there, she could have-

"Fate-san!" Erio said shaking the Thunder Reaper's limp shoulders. Burgundy coloured eyes looked back at him in a daze. "Everyone is safe," he said in a tone which surprised even him. "Arf-san chased them away before anyone could get hurt."

"Kami-sama..." The Thunder Reaper collapsed to her knees in relief.

"O-oye!" Erio exclaimed in shock and surprise. The red head almost fell to the ground himself trying to keep the blonde upright.

"Hey! I heard something over there!"

The echoes of booted feet rushed in their direction.

Erio's eyes widened in fear. "Fate-san! Hurry!"

* * *

"Kaa-san!"

Signum spun around at the sound of Fate's voice, just in time to see the blonde rush into the kitchen to hug her adopted mother.

"Fate-chan! I was so worried!" Lindy said, tears in her eyes as she clutched at her adopted daughter.

The pinkette breathed in relief at the sight, the last of the Harlaowns finally accounted for, safe and sound. A blur of red moved in Signum's peripherals, the samurai turning to see Erio walk over to Caro. The young girl sat at the dinner table next to Arf. Signum made a mental note to thank the boy later. After Lindy had taken him and his friend in, something not uncommon for the teal haired woman, especially if there was someone in need, he surprised them all tonight saying he'd find Fate when it was realized the blonde was not in her room upstairs. And true to his word, he brought Fate back.

"What were you thinking!" Lindy exclaimed, after pulling back from the hug.

"I'm so sorry Kaa-san," Fate said, wincing from the scolding. "I just-"

Lindy pulled Fate back into a hug again. "I know Fate-chan. I know. Erio-kun told me how you went to look for Caro-chan's little friend."

Fate looked at Erio in surprise, the look missed by Signum as her attention was elsewhere at the time. The Captain of the Samurai was currently talking to her Lieutenant, wanting to know what the situation was over at Midori-ya. No one else seemed to notice the look either.

"I..."

Erio nodded to her.

"I know it was late, but I couldn't just leave him out there all by himself," Fate said, blatantly lying to Lindy's face. She felt bad for the ruse, but it couldn't be helped at the moment.

"I'm sorry Lindy-san," Caro said quietly. The small girl stroked Friedrich on the head, the tiny dragon having been returned to her by Erio.

Fate was very relieved to see that colour had returned to Caro's face, the small child looking much better than before. For the next two days after she had collapsed, Fate had stayed by her bedside the entire time, watching over the young girl. To see her moving around on her own again was truly a relief.

"I-"

"Don't feel bad Caro-chan," Lindy said with a relieved smile. "Fate-chan has always been the type to help people out in a pinch. So it's no surprise that she snuck out tonight to look for this little one."

Lindy patted Friedrich on the head, the baby silver dragon crooning happily at the affection.

"What do you mean you haven't heard from them?"

Signum's angry outburst drew everyone's gaze towards her.

Vice withered under his Captain's fierce look. "It's as I said Taichou-sama," he said meekly. "We-"

"Kuso!" Signum punched the nearest thing to her, that being one of the support posts for the lower level. An audible thud rang out, along with the brief shaking of the walls. All the chatter amongst samurai and guards alike died instantly.

Vice unconsciously took a step backwards in fear the moment Signum's cold gaze landed on him again. "Send a messenger ahead to the Empress. We're moving the Harlaowns to the Upper District tonight for their own protection."

"Signum-san..." Lindy said in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm sorry Harlaown-sama," the samurai said, truly regretful. "This happened because Fate cooked for the Empress. These assassins are trying to get to you to get to the Empress. So for your protection, you will all be moved to the Upper District where we can protect you better."

"But Signum-san," Fate said, the blonde said, her face pale. "If they attacked us tonight to get to me, what about Nanoha?"

Signum swallowed thickly. Vice had just informed her that the messenger sent to check up on the samurai watching over Midori-ya had yet to return. The messenger had been sent over half hour ago. It was a ten minute walk from here to the cafe, and that was at a very leisurely pace. For a seasoned samurai, it should have taken no more than a few minutes. The fact that the messenger hadn't returned meant nothing good.

"Fear not Testerossa-san," Signum said. "I will personally ensure to her safety myself."

Signum never made promises she couldn't keep.

* * *

Signum couldn't believe her eyes. The door to the Midori-ya was nothing more than splinters of wood on the ground. The tables and chairs of the cafe were broken to bits, with shards of ceramics which used to be plates and mugs littering the kitchen floor. And her samurai were no where in sight. Nor were any city guards.

Wasting no time, the Captain of the Samurai raced up the stairs to the second floor with Levantine drawn, to where she knew the Takamachi's lived. And the moment she did, she immediately regretted it.

Just like downstairs, everything she saw was either smashed or just torn to shreds. Clothes. Furniture. Personal belongings. Nothing was recognizable. Despite this, it was not any of that which made Signum's heart sink. No. It was the smell. The air was heavy with one particular scent.

Blood.

"KUSO!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Woah, I think this has to be the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. Hehe._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Onii-san/Nii-san = Big Brother_

_Taichou = Captain_

_Taii = Lieutenant_

_Keibi = Guard (used in the context of this story, it's meant to represent the City Guards) _

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee) _

_Kuso = Damn it_

_Raketenhammer = Rocket Hammer (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	31. Domino Effect

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review! ^^ You're my number one anonymous reviewer huh? Cool! :) I'm glad you like the story as much as you do. Be warned though, this is just the beginning of things to come in the story. Hehe. Be prepared for a lot more to come! XD_

_[nameless reviewer] - Thanks for the review! :) I think you may have mixed up names. Erio didn't attack Nanoha in the chapter. Nevertheless, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. :) This is only the beginning though. Just wait until you see what's to come. :P_

_Anonymous - Hehe, I think I'm a littl bit different compared to other MGLN writers. I don't have Nanoha and Fate together right away, but don't worry, they'll hook up eventually. You'll see what I mean as the chapters go by. :) Until then, I hope you keep reading. ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 30: Domino Effect ~ ***

"This can't be happening..."

Signum winced at the despair evident in Hayate's voice. Just moments ago, she had returned to the Imperial Palace from the Middle District, carrying news she knew the Empress would not want to hear.

"Hayate-sama," Signum began, swallowing uncomfortably. "I-"

"When?" came the question.

The Harlaown family had been successfully moved from the Middle District into the Imperial Palace over night. Until their new home could be arranged in the Upper District, they took up residence in the empty West Wing of the Imperial Palace.

"I'm not sure," Signum replied, the samurai inwardly cursing herself for the lack of foresight on this matter. "It couldn't have been too long after they tried to kidnap Harlaown-sama and Testerossa-san."

The Harlaowns took up a total of three rooms, including the extras Signum had not expected, that being Arf the demon fox and the two orphans Erio Mondial and Caro Ru Lushe whom Lindy had taken under her wing at Fate's behest. Chrono refused the move, citing he would be well enough protected by the City Guards should the assailants try another kidnapping attempt on him. While Signum was hesitant to agree, she trusted the man and the City Guards, and left it be.

"But they were supposed to be safe!" Hayate exclaimed.

Shamal gave Signum a worried glance, the blonde feeling just as uneasy with the situation as the pinkette. Hayate was currently pale faced and shaking, her voice near cracking as she almost screamed in protest. Neither of them had ever seen the brunette this hysterical before, even when news of the attack on the Takamachi Dojo came months ago.

"You said she would be safe! You said Nanoha would be safe!"

Fate froze in her motions, her hand raised and ready to knock against the massive cherry wood doors leading to the Empress' personal chambers. Vice Granscenic, Signum's Lieutenant, also stood with her. Fate had been particularly insistant on thanking the Empress for her kindness in sheltering her and her family here in the Imperial Palace, due to the latest turn of events. While she knew the Empress was a busy woman, and that she probably should have just sent a letter thanking her, Fate wanted to do it in person as it was the most courteous thing to do. But then came that shout, and Fate quickly forgot about thanking anyone.

_Something happened to Nanoha?_

Fate couldn't but panic at that thought. She had been so caught up in the attempted kidnapping of her adopted mother, that she had completely forgotten about Nanoha. Signum had said the kidnapping attempt was most likely because she cooked for the Empress that one day, with Nanoha, and the assailants were trying to get to the Empress by using them as leverage. Even knowing that, Fate's first thoughts were of her own family, Signum having taken on the responsibility herself to protect the youngest Takamachi. And now something happened to Nanoha.

Fate cursed inwardly.

Vice frowned. While he was reluctant to bring Fate to the Empress, he had to admit, the blonde was persistent. It didn't help that her adopted mother was just as persistent and the former City Guards Captain's widow. The samurai lieutenant could do nothing but cave to both women's requests. That was half an hour ago. Now, standing in front of the Empress' room, having heard something they probably shouldn't have, Vice was starting to regret his decision. Fate, who had been quite talkative (yet polite) during the entire walk over here, had gone deathly silent at the Empress' shout, the girl immediately paling when she heard it. But before he could do or say anything to rectify the situation, the door to the Empress' chambers swung open and Signum came striding through.

"T-Testerossa-san?" The Samurai Captain almost knocked over the blonde, having not expected to see Fate here, right in front of Hayate's door.

"Taii-san?"

Signum immediately shut the door behind her once she recovered from her surprise, ensuring Hayate's secret identity remained a secret. Not that Fate would have seen anything past Signum's armor, but still, she couldn't be too careful. Hayate had been adamant about her friends not knowing she was still alive. If that happened, the ramifications would be enormous.

"What's happened to Nanoha?" Fate asked, her voice trembling and cracking. She looked at Signum almost level, the pinkette being just an inch taller than her.

Signum clenched her jaw, clearly angered with her second-in-command for bringing Fate here, now of all times. But what was done was done, and nothing could be done to undo it now. Signum glared at her Lieutenant, Vice shrinking back incredibly under her gaze, before she placed her hands on the shaking blonde's shoulders.

"Go back to your room for the time being, Testerossa-san," Signum said, trying to keep her tone even. "Once things are sorted out-"

Fate's hands gripped at Signum's armored wrists with surprising strength. The samurai couldn't but widen her eyes in surprise when she felt her gauntlets digging into her skin.

"Where is she, Signum?"

Signum didn't miss the lack of honorifics, nor did she miss the dark fury in blood coloured eyes. The Captain of the Samurai couldn't but stare at the blonde, having never seen this part of Fate before. Fate was always a kind, soft spoken women. But the woman standing in front of her now was anything but that. If looks could kill, Signum would have died a few times already.

"Testerossa-san, please-"

_BOOM!_

The ground trembled under their feet, the trio looking at each other in startled shock. Signum was the first to take off, Vice and Fate hot on her heels as the pinkette made her way to the closest balcony overlooking the Upper District. A pillar of smoke rose into the sky, the faint sounds of shouts and the clashing of blades heard as another explosion rocked the noble court. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of a pink magical blast tearing through a noble's house. All of them couldn't believe what they were seeing, yet there was no denying what was happening right now.

The White Devil was attacking the Upper District.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Regret and sadness lingered heavily in violet coloured eyes. The White Devil said a silent prayer, her head bowed as she looked down at her latest victim.

**"Sealing."**

She tried not using brute force. She tried turning her weapon elsewhere, anywhere but at these innocent people. Her powers were meant for protecting people, not hurting them. But she had no choice. The Spirit Seed activated the moment she got close to it, and the only way for her to save these people and her brother was to do it the hard way. She could only hope these good people would survive their injuries. More than regular citizens had been hurt today. Amongst the injured were samurai who had come to investigate the disturbance.

The now sealed Spirit Seed drifted through the air towards Raging Heart, disappearing in a flash of blue the moment it connected with the red fist sized magatama gem. The White Devil turned her face away and sighed. Two down. Three more to go.

"Fly, my falcon!"

The white assassin's head snapped up at the sound of Signum's voice, her eyes widening in surprise.

"**Sturmfalken!"**

A bolt of purple flew towards her almost faster than she could see.

"**Flier Fin!"**

The White Devil instinctively leapt backwards, Raging Heart's magic allowing the assassin to almost literally fly backwards a great distance to get away from the attack narrowing in on her. Or so she thought. Just when the arrow of purple magic was about to hit the floor where she previously stood, it made an impossible u-turn upwards and bolted straight at her.

"**Multiple Defenser!"**

A string of five Round Shields materialized in front of the White Devil, the assassin still airborne as Signum's magically enhanced arrow connected with the first of the shields seconds later. The explosion that followed was clearly seen from every district as well as from the Imperial Palace.

Shamal and Hayate could only watch, frozen, where there stood on the balcony connected to the Empress' chambers. Smoke layered the air for a good few seconds, shrouding the battlefield. A moment later, the White Devil breached the wall of smoke and landed on the nearest rooftop with a stumble. The moment she stabilized her stance into a crouch, she found Signun's Levantine touching her neck. One wrong move and she'd have her throat slashed.

"Surrender now, and you will not be harmed," Signum said coldly.

Shimatta. She'd gotten careless.

Sadly, that happened when one ran on little to no sleep. And injury.

Since the confrontation with the Thunder Reaper's apprentice late last night, the White Devil had been searching for Spirit Seeds without respite. She was given the deadline of tomorrow night, ordered to bring those five Spirit Seeds to a location which would be revealed to her closer to that time. If that didn't happen, Kyouya would be as good as dead, with a new civilian taking his place until she did what she was told. For every day that went by without delivery, someone else would die only to be replaced by another innocent, that process repeating over and over again.

"You have to let me go," the White Devil said to the samurai.

"I can't do that," Signum replied.

The pinkette was a bit startled to hear how feminine sounding the White Devil's voice was right now, unaware the Hctip Root had long worn off at this point. She had originally mistook the assassin for a male the first time she met them, but having a better look at them now, Signum was starting to reconsider her first impression. There was something very unsettling about the White Devil. Something so familiar.

The White Devil couldn't afford to linger here for much longer. The longer she was delayed, the less time she would have to search for Spirit Seeds. Contrary to popular belief, ever since Signum increased the number of samurai patrolling the streets, along with the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper doing the same, the number of Spirit Seed incidents had dropped considerably. No longer were they a nightly event, sometimes the White Devil finding no Spirit Seeds for nights on end.

On the other end of the spectrum, there were a few times where she found two or three in a night, but those were too far and too few as of late. She'd been lucky to get two of them only after a night of searching. As it was, the White Devil feared she wouldn't find anymore before the deadline came and went, and Kyouya would pay the price because of that.

"You don't understand," the White Devil said. "I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"You actions say otherwise," Signum retorted. She shifted uneasily on her feet.

For some reason, the longer Signum kept the White Devil here, waiting for back up, the more she felt something was horribly wrong. The White Devil had made no move to attack her, nor had they ever done so in the past. Any attack that may have been directed her way previously was merely a distraction to let the White Devil get away. But why? Why do any of the things they did if they didn't want to hurt anyone? If they didn't want to fight?

"There's more at stake here than you realize," the White Devil said in desperation. Violet coloured eyes darted all over the place, the White Devil trying her darndest to figure out an escape route. She had never been much of a close combat fighter. Even as her siblings and father tried to teach her in the dojo, the White Devil still never got the hang of it. But give her range and a ranged weapon, she was almost invincible.

"If you don't let me go, more people will die."

Signum narrowed her eyes at the White Devil. "Is that a threat?" The White Devil looked up at her, pleadingly.

"Please let me go, Signum-sama," the White Devil said. "Kyouya Nii-san will die if you don't. And me too."

Signum stared at the White Devil, stunned. "What did you just say?"

A crackle of electricity.

"**Panzerschild!"**

The Captain of the Samurai flipped backwards hastily, her magical shield absorbing most of the electrical bolt flung her way before it exploded outwards like shattering glass. The moment her feet touched the rooftop three buildings away, Signum looked up to find herself face to face with a bug humanoid creature. The creature itself donned black and purple armor. Or maybe that was its natural shell, Signum wasn't sure. Around its neck was a pink scarf-like adornment. And from its elbows and forearms extended sheathe blade-like weapons.

The White Devil looked on in surprise, her gaze turning to her right, immediately finding the Thunder Reaper's apprentice standing next to her. And on either side of them both were large, carriage-sized beetle creatures which spurned electrical attacks from their antennas.

"I will cover your retreat," the Thunder Reaper's apprentice said.

"But-"

"You still have Spirit Seeds to collect."

The White Devil clenched her jaw and closed her eyes in defeat. She made a fist. "Hai." Rising to her feet shakily, she paused at the sound of Signum's shout.

"Wait!"

The samurai was locked in deadly combat with the bug creature the White Devil had faced prior. But even as their blades crossed, the pinkette couldn't but seek the White Devil out with her eyes.

The White Devil looked at Signum sadly. "I'm sorry," she said.

* * *

The Thunder Reaper cursed. It had taken her forever to escape from her personal body guards, the incident from the night before doing her no favors when it came to freedom and privacy. Once she had finally escaped from the Imperial Palace, the battle between the White Devil and Signum had long shifted to Signum fighting some bug creature things, along with the rest of Samurais and the City Guards. The White Devil was no where in sight.

The Thunder Reaper cursed again.

Despite knowing she should probably help Signum defeat these new foes, the Samurai and the City Guards were holding their own well enough for the Thunder Reaper to flit by their mini battles. All the while, she kept thinking about Nanoha. And the White Devil.

Something must have gone terribly wrong. She may not have known the White Devil too well, but in all the times she met the other assassin, never had they done something like this. Either the White Devil was showing their true colours now or something else was in play here. But she'd think about that later. Right now, she had to get to Midori-ya.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Upon entering the Midori-ya through Miyuki's bedroom window, no words could describe how the the Thunder Reaper felt as she looked over the wreckage inside. Paper doors were sliced in half. Clothes were torn and ripped. Furniture was in pieces. But most surprisingly of all, the White Devil was in the remnants of Nanoha's bedroom, wheezing as they held their sides while using the wall to keep themself upright.

At the sound of the voice, the White Devil clumsily spun around on her spot, Raging Heart pointed at the owner of the voice. The legendary staff shook in the white assassin's outstretched hand, her other hand clenching painfully at their ribs. When the apprentice assassin said to run, the first place she thought of was here. And so she ran here, making her still healing injuries worse. Combine that with her lack of sleep for the past two days, and the White Devil was ready to pass out at this point. It didn't help that she expended so much magic in such a short period of time. But then her eyes fell upon the one she hated the most and everything else was temporarily forgotten.

"_Kisama!_"

"**Divine Shooter."**

"Wha-wait a minute!"

"**Sonic Move!"**

How she found herself on the receiving end of pink fury, the black assassin didn't know. The Thunder Reaper just managed to evade the four bolts of magic bombardment sent in her direction, stopping in a defensive stance just behind the White Devil with Bardiche drawn. The Thunder Reaper cringed as the blast of pink power demolished half of Miyuki's room across the hallway. The white assassin soon faced her again, panting heavily and obviously in a great deal of pain.

"I'm not here to fight you," the Thunder Reaper quickly said. "I just-"

"Where is he!"

"What?" The Thunder Reaper blinked in confusion.

"Have you come here to mock me? Don't pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about!" The White Devil yelled. "Where is he!" Raging Heart shook in her grasp, yet as threatening as she tried to appear, she didn't have much strength left in her to keep this fight going on for long.

"Where is Nii-san!"

The Thunder Reaper hadn't the foggiest clue as to what the White Devil was rambling on about. It was quite evident the white assassin had mistaken her for someone else entirely, thinking she had taken their brother for whatever reason.

"Listen," the Thunder Reaper said, lowering Bardiche. If she had any hope of getting through to the other assassin, she had to show them she wasn't going to hurt him. Though, with a voice like that, the black assassin wasn't entirely sure the White Devil was a _him_ anymore.

"I honestly don't know who this Nii-san is or what happened to him." The White Devil showed no signs of believing her, but she still had to try. "But if you explain the situation to me, maybe I can help."

When the Thunder Reaper first came here, looking for Nanoha, the last person she expected to see was the White Devil. Then again, she did remember that one time the white garbed assassin had snuck into Nanoha's house, but that turned out to be the Thunder Reaper seeing things. Or had she? To meet the White Devil here, again (so to speak), she could only wonder how they and Nanoha were connected in the first place. Did Nanoha hire them for protection? Did they know what happened to her best friend?

"Liar!" The White Devil spat out. "Raging Heart!"

"**Shooting Mode."**

The Thunder Reaper's eyes widened.

"Divine..."

And then she was falling.

"Watch out!"

The Thunder Reaper lurched forward in the nick of time to catch the collapsing White Devil. One moment they were about to attack her, and in the next, she was stopping them from face planting on the floor. What in the world was going on here?

"Hey. Hey! Stay with me!"

Pain filled violet eyes looked up at concerned and fearful burgundy ones. "Wha...?" Then the White Devil blinked and realized the position she was in. "Illlllllllleeeeeeeee!"

The Thunder Reaper was roughly shoved backwards in an instant. Flailing to kept her balance, her right hand grabbed at the first thing it touched. The White Devil's face mask. Off came the white material as the Thunder Reaper tumbled to the ground and landed on her backside. Quickly getting her wits about her, and fearing another magical attack, the Thunder Reaper immediately looked up to meet the shocked gaze of her best friend.

"Nanoha...?"

Nanoha's eyes widened in horror, the brunette raising a hand to her now uncovered face. In a blur of movement, the brunette bolted in the opposite direction.

"Nanoha wait!"

By the time the Thunder Reaper was on her feet, Nanoha was long gone.

* * *

"I call her... Agito." A maniacal laugh.

Agito awoke on a cold steel table top, to the sound of a man's voice. How she got there, naked, she wasn't really sure. All she knew was that she was cold, hungry, and lacking any memories of before she woke up here. Looking up, she was startled to find a man with violet coloured hair and amber coloured eyes towering over her. He was massive, bigger than her.

Jail could only laugh more. The experiment he'd been so feverishly working on since coming to Japan had finally borne fruit, in the form of this tiny guardian. This tiny fire sprite. Similar to her original, the newly named Agito was born of magic. Though opposite to her original, the redheaded mini wielded fire instead of ice. His tests had already proved that.

"Isn't she wonderful?" Another maniacal laugh.

Agito cringed at the man's laughter, looking everywhere but at him. In doing so, she found another of her size next to her, restrained to the table, also naked. The silver haired one seemed to be alive, her chest moving up and down for every breath she took.

"Excellent work, my Lord."

At the sound of this new voice, Agito looked up again, to find two others with the crazy man. A tall woman and a shorter, black garbed figure.

"With this, we can now start Phase Three of my plan." A grin. "And you know what that means, don't you, Uno?"

"Yes, my Lord," Uno replied. "I shall see to it at once."

"Very good," Jail said, another face splitting grin on his face. "I shall accompany you." He hooked his arm around the arm of his second-in-command.

"And what of the guardian and her clone?" Uno questioned.

Jail turned back to look at Agito, the fire sprite shuffling closer to the silver haired guardian.

"Oh Lutecia," Jail said in a sing song voice.

"Yes, Doctor?" The black garbed figure took a step closer to the table.

"Dispose of them, would you?"

Agito's eyes widened in fear, the colour draining out of the little sprite's face. While she may have been missing memories, she knew exactly what the man named Jail meant. The black garbed figure, the one named Lutecia, looked from Jail to Agito.

"As you wish, Doctor," Lutecia said.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Nii-san/Onii-san = Big Brother_

_Taii = Lieutenant_

_Shimatta = Damn it_

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee) _

_Sturmfalken = Storm Falcons (German)_

_Panzerschild = Armor Shield or Tank Shield (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	32. Revelations of the Scholar

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review! ^^ While it was never my intention to astonish my readers, I'm happy to know it happened. Lol. If you think that was the exciting chapter, wait until you read this one. :P As for Subaru X Teana, I do have a little part in later chapters set aside for them. Nothing big, but I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it nonetheless. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 31: Revelations of the Scholar ~ ***

"Thank you all for attending."

A day had passed since the White Devil openly attacked the Upper District. Unfortunately, the white assassin escaped, another unknown black assassin assisting in their retreat. This was the first time anyone had seen the summoner assassin, the White Devil's partner quite skilled in the arts of summoning insect beasts. Since then, things had only gotten worse as the White Devil was hell bent on getting any and all Spirit Seeds around, no matter the cost. The White Devil was no longer holding back.

Yunno set the scroll in his hand down on the table, briefly glancing at those assembled. He had called a meeting of the utmost urgency today, the meeting itself taking place in the Meeting Chambers, a room normally used for meetings between the Empress and her guests. Yunno stood on one end of the massive cherry wood table in the Meeting Chambers, the others taking up the seats along the perimeter of the table. Everyone looked at Yunno wearing varying expressions.

To his right was Fate, the blonde looking uncomfortable and nervous. This was not surprising considering the present company. To Fate's right was Lindy, the Co-Captain of the City Guards also in attendance along with Chrono, the City Guards Captain himself, who sat to Lindy's right. To Yunno's left and opposite Fate sat Shamal, the Empress' head attendant. The blonde gave Fate a reassuring smile, hoping to ease the young woman's anxiety. To Shamal's left sat Vita, the redhead whose name still eluded Fate as they had yet to be introduced formally. Behind Shamal's chair lay Zafira, the blue demon wolf lazily yawning on the floor as he waited for Yunno to get the meeting started.

On the opposite end of the table from Yunno, on a raised platform and farther back from the rest of the attendees, was the Empress. Standing next to her was an ever familiar pink haired samurai. Today, Signum would be playing the role as the Empress' voice in place of Shamal. Like before, the Empress sat on her throne, partially separated by a bamboo curtain which obscured her from the waist up.

Fate hesitantly glanced to her right, the blonde spying on the Empress for the umpteenth time in the span of minutes. She quickly turned her gaze back to Yunno at the slightest movement from anyone, before she was caught staring. The scholar had called everyone here today to discuss the most recent turn of events, that being dealing with the White Devil, the Thunder Reaper, and the Numbers. Why Fate was invited to such a meeting, she had no clue. And that fact made her even more nervous.

"I realize this may not be the most convenient of times, especially considering all that has happened lately," Yunno said. "So I'll try to keep this as brief as possible." Looking down at the scroll on the table, he paused momentarily.

"As you all know, the incidents involving the Spirit Seeds and certain clans have become more violent and frequent within the last few days."

Signum pursed her lips at that comment. The scholar was putting things nicely. Things had evolved into a bloody nightmare!

"At first, there seemed to be no pattern to the events," Yunno continued. "Aside from the regular power hungry thugs fighting over the Spirit Seeds. It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary."

Shamal nodded in agreement.

"How did the Spirit Seeds come to be? Who created them? Why were they created? After many years of study, we still don't know the answers to those questions. Yet one thing remains true. They are not from our world, nor were they created in our world."

Vita openly yawned, covering her mouth with her hand as the scholar continued his explanation.

"From my research into nullifying their magic," Yunno said, looking down at the scroll on the table again. "I have confirmed that they are indeed not of this world. The Spirit Seeds are actually composed of materials which exists nowhere on our planet."

Vita rolled her eyes in boredom. Was she really dragged in here just to hear this man ramble on and on about things they already knew? Resting her left elbow on the table top, she rested her cheek against her left fist. "So what's your point, blondie?" the redhead asked.

"Vita-chan!" Shamal scolded. The Empress' attendant frowned at her younger companion. "That's rude."

Vita shrugged, completely unfazed by Shamal's look. "So what if they didn't come from our world? What does that have to do with what's going on right now?"

"Vita raises a good point Scrya-san," Signum said, speaking up for the first time. "I think we all know that the Spirit Seeds were not of this world. How does that fact help us with the current state of the country?"

Yunno chuckled. This was an impatient bunch, but he really couldn't blame them, all things considered. "Al Hazard," was Yunno's reply.

Anyone who may have been dozing off at that point was now completely awake. The Empress squeezed the armrest of her throne in a white knuckled grip.

"Ten years ago, Precia Testerossa reportedly found the door to Al Hazard, and with the Spirit Seeds she collected, she tried to force open the door to use Al Hazard's magics to revive her daughter."

Vita sent a furious scowl in Fate's direction, the blonde sinking back into her chair under the glare. Fate wanted nothing more than to disappear right now. Either that, or become really, really small. A hand on her shoulder made the blonde jump, crimson coloured eyes darting to the right where Lindy gave her a reassuring smile.

"I think we all know how that ended," Yunno said, obvious to the looks between attendees. "But needless to say, her attempt failed, leading to one of the most tragic events in Japan's history."

Silence engulfed the room.

Taking that as a sign to continue, Yunno pressed onwards.

"Originally, it was thought that Precia-san had simply gone mad with the loss of her daughter. In doing so, she treated the legends and myths of Al Hazard as real, chasing after what was written in the ancient texts." Yunno ran a hand through his long blonde hair, before readjusting his spectacles.

"The reason why the stories of Al Hazard have always been treated as fairy tales was become we could never prove its existence." A pause. "That is until the Garden of Time Incident."

The scholar closed his eyes momentarily, sighing. "Even then, we still can't say whether or not Al Hazard exists, in spite of the demons and legendary weapons which started to appear in our world after that horrible day. The only reason why people say that place even exists, is because we didn't know how else to explain the coincidences between the ancient texts and what happened that day."

Harlaown Chrono frowned. A lot of what Yunno was saying was nothing new. Many people knew of the stories, about Al Hazard, about what really happened during the Garden of Time Incident, about the Spirit Seeds. But as Yunno had pointed out, a lot of it was merely hearsay and speculation, a type of coping mechanism for everyone to explain and accept what happened over ten years ago. But how much of that was truth and how much was just stories? From the way Yunno was talking, it seemed like the scholar was about to tell them some big secret or-

"I now have new evidence which suggests otherwise," Yunno stated.

Everyone's eyes bore into the scholar.

"What kind of... _new evidence_?" Chrono was not liking the sound of that.

"Al Hazard is real," Yunno said with firm conviction. Green eyes met everyone's gaze. "And the reason why Precia-san failed all those years ago was not because the previous Emperor interrupted the ceremony to open the door. It was simply because her timing for opening the door incorrect."

"W-what?"

Hushed murmurs circulated among those gathered. The Empress turned to Signum, the samurai doing the same, both of them looking at each other in shock. Chrono immediately sought out his mother's gaze, of which the teal haired woman met.

"It took some digging," Yunno continued, without missing a beat. "But I have confirmed with the other scholars that this is not the first time someone's tried to open the door to Al Hazard."

"You can't be serious!" Vita exclaimed in outrage, slamming her open palms down on the table top. "This has happened before?"

Yunno nodded, his expression grim. "In 1108AD, the current Emperor overthrew the most prominent clan in the country, the Fujiwara clan. That war spanned over a year," the blonde scholar recounted. "During the many battles, witnesses reported seeing unholy beasts emerging from a black void, and weapons of great power which could not have been crafted by any blacksmith. It was those two things which attributed to the Emperor's victory in battle and dominance over the land until he died."

"Demons and legendary weapons," Signum said.

"Hai," Yunno said. "In 997AD, there was a similar bloody war, ending in the Sugawara clan usurping the throne. The texts say that the Sugawara warriors had powers of divine light, one so powerful it could obliterate armies in a single blast."

"That sounds like Spirit Seeds if you ask me," Chrono commented.

"It is likely," the scholar said. "But there's more." Yunno unrolled the scroll on the table before him, looking down at the parchment.

"In 883AD, Japan experienced yet another horrific event, in which some estimate over half of the country's people perished. The transcripts for that time and the times before are sketchy at best, but even then there were reports of demons appearing from blackness and lights of great power."

Lindy wrung her hands tightly together on her lap. "How does that affect what's happening now?"

"Over the past month," Yunno continued, dragging his finger along the image inked on the scroll. "Some of the other scholars studying the sky have reported strange movements in the heavens. The regular pattern of stars appears to be broken."

The Empress went rigid at that piece of information.

* * *

_"During the night of the no moon," Carim began. "I received a vision of the most startling revelation."_

_The blonde reached into her hidden satchel, pulling forth a small bundle of parchment. Untying the bindings that held it, she pulled out a single sheet of parchment filled with script. She handed it to Hayate. "The saint is awakening."_

_"The… saint…?" Hayate looked at Carim questioningly before turning her attention to the words on the page._

_The seed of shadow will poison the land._

_The gate to the heavens will break..._

* * *

"The stars are aligning into a new formation," Yunno said, unaware of the Empress' disposition. "Hearing that, I felt that this event, on top of the movements of the clans around the Spirit Seeds, was just too coincidental. So I had some of my colleagues search for other unusual patterns previously recorded in the texts."

Zafira's eyes narrowed slightly. "Let me guess," the blue demon wolf said. "They found some."

Yunno nodded. "Hai. Similar changes in the heavens were noted during the peak of those horrific events I mentioned earlier."

Signum looked at the Empress again, her jaw clenched.

"It appears that Japan, specifically this capital city, will be the focal point of this alignment, one of which will happen in the next three days."

"Three days?" Chrono questioned, the Captain of the City Guards paling slightly. "How can you be so sure?"

"The Spirit Seeds," Yunno replied. "Over the past few weeks, they have been pulsing in regular intervals, despite being sealed. These intervals have been steadily decreasing in rate. I have confirmed with the other scholars that the pattern is not as random as it appears. The Spirit Seeds seem to be counting down to something, like a timer of sorts."

Lindy's hands clenched tighter into fists. "What happens when the timer reaches zero?" she asked. The teal haired woman already knew the answer, but she had to ask anyway.

"The door to Al Hazard will open."

Shamal bit her lip at this news. The Empress' attendant was already fearing the outcome of the door being forced open again. The tragedies during the Garden of Time incident had been horrific. And that happened without the door being opened at all. If the door to Al Hazard were to open this time-

"Because the Spirit Seeds are connected to all of this," Yunno continued onwards before he lost the group's attention completely. "It is likely that the person who has the most Spirit Seeds in their possession at that time will not only be able to open the door to Al Hazard, but they will also have the ability to wield whatever power they attain from it."

"Kuso!" Signum cursed. The news had just gone from bad to worse. Who knew how many Spirit Seeds the White Devil, the Thunder Reaper, or the Numbers Clan had? The samurai captain was pretty sure it was more than what they had sealed away in the Imperial Vault.

"With the new alignment so close at hand," Yunno said. "The door to Al Hazard must have already materialized somewhere. I think that is what the clans are searching for. They're searching for the door in preparation of it opening."

"Then we must find the door before they do." Lindy said firmly. The teal haired woman was already thinking of the different ways to go about searching for the door to Al Hazard.

Yunno nodded at Lindy. "That's where you actually come in, Fate-san."

"Me?" Fate's head snapped towards Yunno in surprise.

"While I realize this is a touchy subject," the scholar started. "Do you remember anything from before waking up during the Garden of Time Incident? Anything at all? Precia-san was a brilliant archeologist and had studied Al Hazard in great depth. Anything you can think of could help us."

Fate looked down at her hands, fists clenching on her lap. "I-"

* * *

_"They wouldn't find me where I went," Arf barked. "I went back to Al Hazard. It's really pretty over there Fate," the demon fox said, her tail thumping against the back of the chair. "I can show you how to get there if you want." _

* * *

Fate's eyes went wide like saucers, the blonde remembering her conversation with Arf the night the demon fox returned to her. Lindy must have remembered the same thing, for she too wore a shocked expression. Both of them looked at each other.

"Fate-san?" It looked like the blonde had remembered something, but Yunno couldn't be sure.

"Ile..." Fate said reluctantly, shaking her head. She could feel her adopted mother's gaze boring into her from the right. "I'm sorry Yunno-kun, nothing comes to mind." With a quick glance to Lindy, Fate knew she was going to have a talk with her mother later.

"Well, it was worth a try," Yunno said dejectedly.

"Signum."

The pinkette turned towards the Empress, approaching the woman behind the bamboo curtain per her beckoning.

"I understand," the samurai replied a moment later. Signum returned to the visible side of the curtain again.

"Harlaown-san," the Captain of the Samurai said grimly. "The Empress has ordered us to stop the Numbers, as well as the Thunder Reaper and the White Devil at all costs. You are allowed to use extreme force, even if it means killing them."

Fate's eyes widened in horror. _Nanoha!_ Burgundy coloured eyes darted all over the room, the blonde now was desperately looking for an escape out of this place. She was not about to let her best friend die, not without knowing the truth behind things first.

"I will continue my research on nullifying the magics of the Spirit Seeds," Yunno said. "I still believe there is a way to do it, and maybe if we're lucky, I'll be able to devise-"

"**Sturmfalken!"**

Yunno flinched as Signum's bolt of purple magic whizzed by his head just missing him by inches.

"Wha-"

_BOOM!_

The entire room shook, Lindy and Chrono diving at Fate to shield her from the debris while Zafira tackled Shamal from her chair and stood in front of her protectively. Vita was already at the Empress' side with Graf Eisen ready, while Signum chased after the intruder.

A blur of black zipped out of the smoke from the blast on the other end of the room, charging straight through the Meeting Chamber doors before anyone could catch them. Signum was hot on their heels a second later, chasing them through the corridors of the Imperial Palace as they sought a quick escape.

Rounding the corner the black assassin vanished around, the pink haired samurai prepared her signature attack. "Purple-"

Signum slid to halt at the sight of two bodies on the ground before her.

"Rein...?"

* * *

Agito looked around in disorientation. One moment she was in some dark room, the one called Lutecia approaching her and the other tiny guardian. Then, in the next, they were all in some large place with red decorative walls and carpets glittering in gold.

"Rein...?"

How she and the other mini ended up on the floor, Agito had no idea. But before she could make heads or tails of the situation, there was the stomping of booted feet rounding the corner near them and Agito did the only thing she could think of. She cowered in fear, all the while clutching at the unconscious silver haired sprite next to her.

"Rein-chan!"

Agito's eyes snapped open at the voices and found a small grouping of large people towering over them both. Rein groaned in her grasp, shifting slightly.

"Hay... ate...?" the silver haired guardian mumbled.

The said brunette dropped to her knees next to Signum, in tears. "Rein..."

At this recognition, Agito swallowed thickly before backing away from Rein. Hayate wasted no time and immediately cuddled Rein to her chest. Shamal appeared next to the Empress within seconds, quick to check on the little guardian's health.

And Agito had never felt more alone. But what she did felt right.

"Who are you?" Vita demanded, pointing Graf Eisen at Agito.

The fire sprite cowered back again, holding herself, shivering. Long red hair draped over her bare shoulders, her wings (which were of the same colour) wrapped as much around her body as possible, acting as both a weak shield and a blanket. Agito clutched at her tail tightly.

"Answer me!" Vita exclaimed, taking a menacing step towards the little one. "Who are you and who are you working for!"

Agito whimpered, turning her face away from the angry redhead, shaking. She squeezed her eyes shut. Tiny tears threatened to fall.

"Vita."

"But Signum-"

"That's enough Vita."

Agito flinched as something draped over her head and body. Opening her eyes in fear, she immediately found herself covered up in Signum's handkerchief. The pink haired samurai had stooped down at this point, and offered the tiny sprite her hand.

"How about we get you cleaned up?"

Agito looked at Signum's hand, long and hard before looking up to meet the samurai's gaze. There was such kindness in the woman's voice, despite the strong aura and mean appearance the pink haired swordswoman sported. The angry redhead from before grumbled in the background somewhere, but Agito paid no heed. Gathering up her courage for the first time since she awoke, the small fire sprite hesitantly reached out her hand to grab onto Signum's finger.

"H-hai."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ This story takes place roughly in Feudal Japan, set between 1100-1200, for the purposes of this fanfiction. Yunno refers to previous eras in Japan's history, but please not they may not accurately portray how the era was in real life. For more information on Japan's eras, visit: http[colon][doubleslash]en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/History_of_Japan_

_I realize that during this time period, the concepts of stars, planets, etc may be too advance for that time. So for the sake of this story, let's just say they knew about those things. ;)_

_And just to clarify, any blocks of text in italics are flashbacks._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Kuso = Damn it_

_Sturmfalken = Storm Falcons (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	33. Entrapment

**Of ****Assassins, ****Samurai,**** and ****Magic**

_**A/N**__:__ And__ the __next __chapter__ is __up! __I__'__ve__ tried __to__ keep __everyone __as __close __as__ possible __to __their__ characters __in __the __anime __though__ I__'__m __sure__ there __will __be__ a__ few__ OOC __moments. __Comments__ and__ reviews__ are__ much __appreciated.__ Enjoy!_

___On a random note, FFnet is being glitchy and deleting the spaces between words for some lines. I've fixed that now, but who knows if it will actually stay that way. =\_

_For__ those__ of__ you__ who__ have__ left__ unsigned __reviews,__ see __my __replies __below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ You sense Vivio huh? *cheeky grin* I can't say anything yet, aside from you'll just have to wait and see. :P I hope you feel better though. I'm happy I was able to brighten your day somehow. ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__:__ The __characters __and__ the__ worlds __I __write __in __do__ not __belong __to__ me.__ The__ stories__ that__ I__ write __are__ intended__ for __entertainment__ purposes.__ I__ do__ not__ make __any __money __from __them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 32: Entrapment ~ ***

Fate leaned against the balcony railing, the doors leading into her room in the Imperial Palace wide open behind her. Burgundy coloured eyes watched as the sky changed from baby blue to a beautiful orangey-purple colour, the sun beginning its descent for the night. The Imperial Palace truly had a magnificent view.

"Fate?"

An entire day had passed since the meeting with Yunno. Since then, the blonde had barely slept and had barely eaten anything. Last night, she snuck out of the Imperial Palace in search of the White Devil, for Nanoha. Yet, neither she nor the samurai or city guards had had any luck in tracking down the brunette. It was like Nanoha had vanished completely. But Fate knew better.

"Fate?"

The soft padding of clawed feet came up to her from behind.

The day of the new heavenly alignment was drawing nearer, only two days away now. And because of that, everyone was on edge. The samurais and city guards were more rushed than normal. Chrono and Lindy talked in hushed whispers more than before. Even Signum was more tense than Fate had ever seen the Captain of the Samurai before. Everyone was feeling it. The invisible weight hung heavily on all of their shoulders to stop this impending madness. Fate too could not escape from that burden, which is why she now turned to her furry orange friend with her mind made up.

"Arf," Fate said.

"Fate?" Arf blinked, the demon fox waiting for the blonde to say something. A multitude of emotions crossed the youngest Harlaown's face, but the demon said nothing about it.

"Take me to the door of Al Hazard."

Sapphire blue eyes widened in shock. "A-are you sure?"

Arf had spectacular hearing. Supernatural hearing in fact. Her hearing was so good, that she heard the entire conversation that only Fate, Lindy and Chrono were privy too when asked to attend that meeting yesterday. Though, if she really had to admit it, the only reason she heard a single word of it was because she snuck out after Fate and ended up on the rooftop of the Meeting Chambers.

"Hai," Fate replied with a nod. "I need to see it for myself."

Arf hesitantly looked back at the bedroom behind them.

"Kaa-san and Nii-san must not know about this," Fate added, noticing her friend's hesitation.

"O-okay..." Arf said with a frown. She didn't like this idea. Not one bit. But because Fate had asked her to, and since no one else had found the place yet, the demon fox figured it would be alright.

"Just let me get changed quick," Fate said.

Arf nodded.

"Bardiche!"

"**Yes ****Sir!****"**

* * *

"Sugoi..."

The Thunder Reaper stared at the massive double doors made of onyx, crystals and precious metals. After following behind Arf for the better part of an hour, the demon fox finally led her to the base of Mount Fiji, taking her further inside the dormant volcano to where a hidden entrance lay. Walking behind her furry friend, with Bardiche providing the sole light down the twisting and turning tunnel, the Thunder Reaper soon found herself spiralling downwards, walking down onyx step after onyx step until they reached what appeared to be a massive inner chamber underneath the volcano itself. Down here, it seemed like an entirely different world existed.

The floor looked to be made of marble, but the Thunder Reaper had never seen a marble made of this kind of stone before. Even in the Imperial Palace. Walls were made of the same stuff as the floor, some of them having crumbled and broken from age. In the cracks and holes in the wall, the black assassin could see a... well... she didn't know what she was looking at. Purples and blues and greens all mixed together, like oil and water, shifting and twisting in the air outside of the walls. If she didn't know any better, the Thunder Reaper would have thought herself to be in an entire different dimension altogether.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Arf's voice broke the Thunder Reaper out of her reverie. The demon fox currently sat on her haunches, in front of the massive, ornately decorated doors, wagging her tail.

Turning her attention back to the double doors themselves, burgundy coloured eyes ran up and down the marvel, inspecting the intricate design on it. Gold, silver and bronze, along with onyx, diamonds, emeralds and other gemstones and metals the Thunder Reaper didn't recognize covered the door. Taking a closer look at it, the black assassin could just make out what appeared to be some kind of picture, images of what appeared to be a throne of some sort, along with some sort of divine or holy figure. The shapes of demons and what could be the predecessors of the legendary weapons were also depicted on the doors, causing the Thunder Reaper to look down at Bardiche. Raising her weapon up to the door, there was no doubt in the black assassin's mind that Bardiche was one of the weapons carved on the door. Opposite the figure holding Bardiche on the door, there was another one, holding a staff-like weapon which looked very similar to the White Devil's-

"My, my, isn't this quite the place."

The Thunder Reaper spun around at the voice, Arf already on her feet and growling menacingly at the intruder. Or rather, intruders. Blood coloured eyes widened a fraction, immediately noting six Numbers assassins who blocked the only entrance out of this place. A seventh assassin, this one dressed in black, also stood amongst the group.

"Well done, Lu-chan!" the leading blue assassin said. The assassin, their insignia 'IV' blatantly showing on their back, patted the enemy black assassin on the head. "Our Lord will be pleased."

The Thunder Reaper gritted her teeth, clearly recognizing the annoying blue assassin from previous battles. She had yet to meet whoever this Lu-chan was, but it was quite evident the smaller assassin was in league with the Numbers clan.

The small black assassin nodded, making a sound of affirmation.

"Head back to our Lord and let him know where we're at," the blue assassin said. "We'll finish up here."

"Understood," the other black assassin said.

Circles of purple runes materialized around the black assassin, the Thunder Reaper only then realizing the smaller assassin had not come alone. She had come with an entire bug army it seemed, most likely the little insects (who were now visible due to the light) being the ones who tracked her here without her or Arf noticing. With her summons now returned to their world, the black assassin took her leave.

"Now," the blue assassin said, turning back to the Thunder Reaper. "Where were we again? Ah yes! Finishing off our fight from before, before we were so rudely interrupted!"

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Fate-chan?"

Harlaown Lindy waited patiently at the door to her adopted daughter's bedroom in the Imperial Palace. She knew it was late, but given all that had happened in the past two days, this was one of the few times where she actually had a break. It bothered Lindy how pale Fate had been after yesterday's meeting. But that couldn't have been avoided. Lindy could hardly believe how things were going herself.

"Fate-chan?"

More knocking.

Lindy had no idea how the meeting yesterday would affect her adopted daughter. She herself knew very little of what it was about until the meeting actually started. And when it did, the teal haired woman wanted nothing more than to steal her daughter away instantly. Fate had gone deathly quiet since the meeting, the blonde barely speaking to anyone since then. Lindy could only fear what the meeting may have driven Fate to do. They had still yet to talk about Fate hiding the location of the door to Al Hazard.

A sigh.

Having received no reply, Lindy turned back towards her room down the hallway. While it was quite possible Fate was sleeping right now, Lindy was more accepting of the fact that Fate had gone exploring the palace again rather than sleep. The blonde was very much a night owl, often staying up into the wee hours of the morning, long after Lindy herself had gone to sleep. Disappointed as she was about this, Lindy was not deterred. She'd just come back at a later time to talk to the blonde. Until then, she'd just get some sleep.

_CRASH!_

Or not.

"Fate-chan!"

Lindy charged through the doors to Fate's room, the noise having clearly come from inside. The moment she stepped foot inside, a gasp escaped her lips. Arf, bleeding and beaten, lay half inside of the room and half on the balcony connected to the room. On the floor next to the demon fox was one of the decorative vases, in a billions pieces, having been tipped over by accident when the demon fox came tumbling inside.

"Arf-chan!"

By now, booted footsteps came running towards the room, Signum and a few samurai racing inside also having heard the commotion. Lindy was already at Arf's side, cradling the demon's head in her lap as she stroked bloodied fur to rouse her.

"Arf-chan! Hang in there!"

"Fate..." Arf said weakly, blue sapphire eyes barely opening to look at the one who held her.

"Get Shamal-san! Now!" Signum ordered her samurai, her men immediately bowing before scattering in search of the Empress' attendant.

"What about Fate-chan, Arf? Where is she?" Lindy felt the cold of dread seep into her being.

"Help..." Arf said softly. "Al Hazard..." And Arf's eyes closed.

"Arf! Keep your eyes open!" Lindy said, her voice shaking. "Where is Fate-chan!" the teal haired woman asked, shaking the demon. "What has happened to Fate-chan!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For__ those __of__ you__ unfamiliar__ with __the __non-English __words,__ I __have __translated __them__ below._

_Hai__ = Yes_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = __Mother_

_Onii-san/Nii-san__ = Big __Brother_

_Sugoi__ = Amazing_

_For__ an__ explanation __of__ Japanese__ honorifics__ (eg.__[name]-sama),__ please__ check__out:__ http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	34. The Saint Awakens

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ It's always pleasing to hear people are enjoying the twists and turns I've put in the story. XD If you thought the last chapter was bad (not in a true bad sense, if you know what I mean :P), wait until you read this one. Mwhahaha..._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 33: The Saint Awakens ~ ***

_~The Garden of Time. The night before the new heavenly alignment.~_

The White Devil slowly limped down the spiralling onyx staircase to the hidden depths below. What lay ahead of her, she didn't know. In the end, she didn't find another Spirit Seed, not after the two she acquired the night before. As a result, the White Devil was left with no other choice than to storm into the Imperial Palace herself to confiscate the three Spirit Seeds she had given Yunno weeks before.

The Imperial Palace was like a fortress. Just trying to get in was a chore. Yet somehow, she managed to sneak in and get the Spirit Seeds without incident. Thankfully, Yunno was not in his office at the time, relieving the White Devil to no end that she didn't have to fight her childhood friend for them. But that's as far as her luck went. When she tried to leave the palace, she was intercepted by none other than Vita. For such a little girl, the redhead certainly had a lot of strength behind her attacks. Though, that shouldn't have been a surprise. The White Devil had already caught snippets of Vita fighting previously, while engaged against the Numbers clan that time in the cemetery days ago.

"Not much further," the Thunder Reaper's apprentice said, snapping the white assassin out of her thoughts.

The White Devil nodded. True to her word, the black assassin sought out the White Devil the moment she escaped from the Imperial Palace, and led her here. Wherever _here_ was. The white assassin was so exhausted at this point, it was a miracle that she was still moving at all. Finally, after walking down the black staircase for who knows how long, they finally reached the bottom.

It was then the apprentice assassin stopped, turning towards the White Devil to look at her. "Through there," the girl said, pointing to the sole doorway at the bottom of the stairs.

Seeing no other movement from the other assassin, the White Devil took that as her cue to lead. Sighing, she moved in the direction of the door, nearly using up all of her remaining strength just to push through the gateway of stone. Looking up from her feet after that tremendous effort, the scene which unfolded in front of her made the White Devil pause in her tracks.

The inner chamber was massive. Walls went up as high as the sky and beyond. The White Devil wasn't even sure there was a ceiling to the place. Crumbled pillars and supports made of marble littered the area, and at the far end of the chamber, were humongous double doors. Plated with gold, silver, bronze and many recognizable precious gemstones and other metals, the White Devil could not tear her gaze away from the intricate images carved into the doors, ones which depicted life and death and everything in between.

A groan drew the White Devil's attention to the base of the double doors. A sole form lay on the ground, barely moving. Violet eyes went wide.

"Nii-san!"

Without thinking, the White Devil scrambled towards the fallen form as fast as her tired legs would take her. With pain forgotten, weariness forgotten, all the White Devil focused on was the one just steps away from her. The moment she was within arms reach, pain exploded from her stomach all the way through to her back, spreading outwards to her extremities. The White Devil came to a stumbling halt, looking downwards in a daze. A bloody claw protruded from her stomach. The white assassin looked behind herself.

"Didn't I tell you?" Due said, grinning in victory. "I'd enjoy tearing you apart!"

Due retracted her clawed hand, the weapon making a squelching sound as it pulled out of the White Devil's back. The strength from her legs immediately left her, the White Devil collapsing to the ground on her stomach, next to the fallen form. The moment her body hit the ground, what she thought was her brother fazed out, revealing none other than the Thunder Reaper himself.

"Wha...?"

Maniacal laughter.

"Welcome White Devil," Jail said, clapping, as he approached the wounded white assassin. "... to the Garden of Time."

Another laugh.

"I'm glad you could make it."

Whimpers and sobs now reached the White Devil's ears, the white assassin weakly moving her head to the side by an inch. Upon doing so, pain filled eyes widened at the sight of people, mostly regular city folk she had often passed in the streets of the Middle District. Many of them had visited the Midori-ya at one point or another. All of now however, were chained to the walls with heavy metal restraints. Among them was Kyouya, her brother looking a bit banged up, but otherwise alive yet unconscious.

"You'll have to forgive me for all the theatrics and deception," Jail said, drawing the White Devil's attention back to him. "But I just couldn't help myself!"

Another maniacal cackle shattered the air before Jail bent down to take the five Spirit Seeds from the white assassin.

"Who... are you...?" the White Devil wheezed out. She was starting to feel cold, and it had nothing to do with the cold, hard ground she lay on.

"Ah," Jail said, turning to look at the white assassin. "How rude of me. My name is Jail Scaglietti." Jail proceeded to straighten out his coat and run a hand through his violet hair.

"Some people call me a genius," the alchemist said, continuing to speak. "But that's not the right term. Soon-to-be-god, that is what I am."

The White Devil coughed, sputtering as blood trickled from her lips staining her face mask crimson.

"Oh dear," Jail said, reaching down again to pull the mask from her face. "I can't have you dying on me just yet-" Jail's eyes widened in surprise. "Well isn't this a surprise. Who would have thought the White Devil was actually a woman?"

Nanoha coughed again, greedily sucking in air with a breathy gasp. While it was a bit easier to breathe now, now that her own blood soaked mask wasn't choking her, it didn't change the fact that she was probably bleeding to death on the floor.

"Today is just full of surprises, isn't it?" Jail said cackling. "First I find out the Thunder Reaper is none other than my beloved Fate, and now I find out the White Devil is actually a woman!"

The Thunder Reaper is Fa-

Wait. What?

Violet coloured eyes snapped over to the prone form of the Thunder Reaper. Only then did Nanoha get a good look at the other assassin. She almost choked on her gasp.

"Fa..te...chan?" came the brunette's shaky voice.

"Oh?" Jail hummed in amusement. "You know little Fate? This day keeps getting better and better!"

Nanoha paid no heed to Jail's constant droning. Whatever the man said in the next few minutes, she didn't hear them. Her attention was completely and solely on Fate right now. "Fate..."

Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, the blonde looking just as bad, if not worse than how Nanoha was currently feeling. Fate's wrists and ankles were shackled with heavy metal restraints, Fate's once golden hair now knotted and soaked in the girl's blood. Splotches of purple bruises marked Fate's face and neck, the right side of Fate's face visibly swollen. Blood was also caked and dried all over her body where the black assassin sported many non-life threatening wounds.

Fate was still alive. Nanoha could see the blonde's chest rising and falling with every breath. But to see her best friend like this, battered and bleeding, Nanoha felt her heart break. At the same time, her blood boiled, violet eyes darkening as she thought about all the pain and suffering Fate must have gone through. There would be hell to pay for this.

"And that's how we all ended up here," Jail said, his words drawing Nanoha's attention back to him. Jail laughed yet again.

"Precia was so desperate to revive her dead daughter, that she was willing to believe anything I said if it meant bringing her precious Alicia back."

Jail hugged himself, grinning like an insane ward as he twirled around on his spot, laughing. "All I had to do was pay her a visit in the hospital, and off she went, to force open the door to Al Hazard all those years ago."

Nanoha's eyes widened in horror.

"Yes," Jail said smugly. "That day ten years ago, the one you now call the Garden of Time Incident, that was all because of me."

"_Kisama!"_

In a bout of strength that even surprised herself, Nanoha pushed herself up from the ground and lunged at the smug man. Jail actually had the audacity to laugh at her efforts, the brunette almost managing to knock the man silly with her bare fist. But one of the Numbers assassins intercepted her first and sent Nanoha slamming to the ground with a crunch. Nanoha almost passed out from that hit, her vision blurring dangerously as pain further exploded across her body. Whatever assassin had hit her, they still held her down to prevent another leaping outburst.

"Amazing!" Jail said, peering at the white assassin admiringly. "She has more resilience than I thought!"

"N-Nanoha?"

The said girl stilled, slowly turning her gaze to the other on the floor, just a few feet away. Pain filled violet eyes met shocked burgundy ones.

"Ah, my beloved Fate has finally woken up." Jail made his way over to Fate and stooped down next to the blonde. "Had a nice nap, _daughter_?"

"Don't touch her Baka Yaro!" Nanoha received a hard jab to her wound for that remark.

"Nanoha!" Fate exclaimed in horror, seeing her best friend cry out in pain, shuddering.

Jail could only laugh more. "So you two know each other. Marvellous!"

"Get away from her!" Fate growled, propelling herself to her hands and knees before launching herself at the blue assassin on top of the brunette. Fate's speed surprised everyone, the blonde literally body checking the assassin off of Nanoha with her shoulder, ramming into the woman like a rocket.

"Tre!"

Tre went tumbling across the ground, limbs flailing, eventually coming to a blunt stop when she crashed into the wall on the far side of the room. Multiple weapons raised at Fate in that instant, the blonde not the least bit fazed by it as she knelt protectively over a still shuddering Nanoha.

"Fa... te...chan..." Nanoha wheezed weakly, feeling the tug of unconsciousness pull at her harder now. The edges of her vision was starting to blacken.

"I'm here, Nanoha," Fate said softly, resting her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "I won't let them hurt you." She squeezed gently.

Jail was in hysterics. With his head thrown backwards, the alchemist howled in laughter. "This is just too much," he said. "Just hours ago, you were at each other's throats, and now, you're all protective of each other. How touching!"

Fate gritted her teeth, ignoring the aches and pains rampaging through her body. Sure she took one hell of a beating hours ago (Fate didn't know how long she had been out for), but it was nothing as severe as Nanoha's injuries right now. The brunette was starting to fade, no doubt because of all the blood she had lost and was still losing. Burgundy coloured eyes darted all over the place, Fate seeking an exit for both of them before it was too late. But she didn't have Bardiche with her, neither did Nanoha have Raging Heart. And Fate was shackled. It was not going to be easy.

"So gullible," Jail said, shaking his head with a smile. "Just like your mother."

That got Fate's attention.

"Such hatred," Jail tsked. "Even after all this time, you still haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

Fate remained silent.

Jail waved off the Numbers assassins, all of them reluctantly lowering their weapons before retreating to their previous positions as their master continued to talk.

"I wasn't kidding when I came to you that night, saying I was your father."

Nanoha blinked a few times, looking between Fate and Jail. It took so much effort to do that, but she did it anyhow. This crazy man was Fate's real father?

"You are not my Outo!" Fate roared, just barely holding herself back from charging at the man.

Jail grinned. "But that's where you're wrong Fate," he said. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even exist."

Nanoha glared at Jail the best she could. "You're... wrong..." she said breathlessly.

Jail ignored the brunette. "You were not born Fate," he continued. "You were created. By this very place, over ten years ago."

Fate went rigid. Flashes of memory flickered across her mind's eye, images and sounds coming back to Fate in a blur of noise. Precia's smiling face. A brilliant light. The doors to Al Hazard opening. Then demons and darkness everywhere.

"Precia thought she was resurrecting her dead daughter," Jail continued in his ramblings. "But what she was really doing was creating a key, a very special key." Amber coloured eyes stared at Fate. "You. You were to be the key which opened the doors to Al Hazard."

Fate felt her body go numb. "Wha-what...?"

"Stop... it..." Nanoha whispered.

"But she failed," Jail said with disgust. "That fool of a woman, in her haste, messed things up and instead created a failed clone in the image of her daughter."

Fate sank back on her heels as her mind reeled with this new information.

"Stop it..." Nanoha repeated, louder this time.

"Look at you," Jail said in amusement. He sneered. "Not even human, yet trying to be one, only to fail miserably."

"You're... you're lying!" Fate said. She was shaking.

"Stop it," Nanoha said again, desperation in her voice.

"Am I really?" Jail questioned, once again smugness rolling off of him in waves. "Do you truly believe that? No, no you don't. You know the truth. You already knew the truth all along. Face it Fate, you were nothing but a failed tool!"

"I SAID STOP!"

An explosion of pink erupted outwards throwing Jail off his feet, along with every single Numbers assassin who lurched to his defense. The floor underneath Fate and Nanoha lit up in a brilliant display of magic, the two having unknowingly been on top of a large circle of runes carved directly into the floor. The circle of runes was linked to the massive double doors closest to it.

Nanoha breathed heavily, half sitting up, half lying down. Sweat rolled down the sides of her face as she gasped for air. A hand clutched at the still bleeding wound in her stomach, the other holding tightly onto Fate's arm. The blonde looked at Nanoha in surprise, frozen in her spot as magic literally materialized around them in multiple spheres of pink.

"I said... stop," Nanoha gritted out in between breaths. "I don't know... *huff* ... who you are... *huff*... nor and why you're doing all of this horrible things... *huff*... but you're wrong about Fate... *huff* ..."

"Oh?" Jail said smirking. He was still sitting on his bottom, on the floor, surrounded by his Numbers assassins. "How so?"

"You say that Fate is not human?" Nanoha sucked in a pained breath. "That she's just a mere tool... *huff*... created by some sick woman who couldn't accept the death of her daughter?" Violet eyes narrowed at the man.

"Fate is more human than anyone I have ever known." The hand on Fate's arm squeezed tighter. "When she's happy, she laughs," Nanoha said with a small smile. "And when she's sad, she cries." The brunette's head started to droop, as did her eyelids.

"That in itself may not be enough proof, but I'll tell you this." Nanoha's stare bored into Jail. "I have never loved a person more than I have Fate."

Fate's breath got caught in her throat.

"And that would never happen if she wasn't human!"

Nanoha had known all along that she loved her best friend. From the first time she met the girl over ten years ago, she knew she had to become her friend. And over the ten years, as they grew up together, the bond between them only grew stronger, until the day the youngest Takamachi realized that her life would not be complete without Fate in it. But the brunette didn't have courage to tell her friend of her feelings, fearing both rejection and loss should Fate want nothing to do with her the moment her feelings were revealed. Now she no longer feared such things. She was dying, Nanoha knew. And with death knocking on her door, all of the previous reservations she may have had, melted away. She had only one chance and one chance alone, and Nanoha was not going to waste it.

"Nanoha..." Fate said, stunned.

"I love Fate-chan," Nanoha said, her voice trembling. The brunette weakly turned to look at her best friend and crush, feeling very tired now that the initial adrenaline rush had worn off. "For so long, I have loved you," she said in a whisper. Fate still sat there, shocked. "But I-"

Nanoha screamed in agony. As did Fate.

"Ah, so that's how it works." Jail smirked as he rose to his feet.

The circle of runes underneath Fate and Nanoha glowed purple, slowly and painfully draining both girls of their magic. Never had Nanoha nor Fate known of such pain, as if their very souls were being ripped out of their bodies, a hair's width at a time.

"To create the key to Al Hazard," Jail said, watching in sick fascination as the assassin pair crumpled to the ground, writhing. "A sacrifice must be given. What better sacrifice than a legendary weapon wielder and a failed attempt at the key who also wields a legendary weapon?"

The magical runes of the circle expanded outwards, running up the still standing stone pillars which circled the area, running along the walls, materializing across the floor. The lines of ancient glowing text formed one large Summoning Square. The large runed circle Nanoha and Fate lay on was in the middle of that Summoning Square, acting as the focal point of it.

Nanoha screamed until her breath ran out, somehow managing to suck in another breath before she choked. Despite this fact, no further sound left her lips. Pain wracked her body in ways she never knew existed until now. Yet, in all her pain, she found Fate's hand, both of them intertwining fingers with each other as they slowly faded away. Fate regarded Nanoha with such sad eyes, she too no longer finding the strength to scream as tears ran down her cheeks. The brunette forced a smile.

Streams of pink and yellow magic drained off the assassins, Bardiche and Raging Heart cracking fading away into nothingness themselves as their masters slowly ceased to be. Fate and Nanoha's bodies started to dissolve, flecks of light drifting away from their bodies and upwards. Above the two assassins, the bits that were them condensed into a small orb of white light which grew and expanded into a new form. Long blonde hair flowed all around her, green and red eyes slowly opening as more magic poured into her.

"The Saint..." Jail said breathlessly, watching in awe as the whole thing continued.

The very research which brought Agito to life was now doing the same for the Saint, the key which would open the doors to Al Hazard tomorrow, when the stars were correctly aligned. While researching this phenomenon, Jail learned that the key to opening the doors would be created some time before the true ceremony, through the combination of life and magic. Perhaps that's what Precia was trying to achieve ten years ago, but in the end, she didn't have the knowledge required to do it. But Jail did. Over the years he perfected his knowledge, having learned how Precia had failed in her attempt. And tomorrow would be the glorious day, the day when he-

_BOOM!_

The doors to the inner chamber were blasted open.

"No! No!" Jail exclaimed, watching in horror as ceremony to create the key was interrupted and the circle of runes faded into nothingness. With the blasting of the doors, part of the Summoning Square was destroyed, and hence, the ceremony failed to complete.

With magic and life force no longer feeding her form, the Saint floated down to the ground and collapsed in between Fate and Nanoha. The two were just barely alive, their bodies flickering back into existence again the moment the ceremony was stopped. Thankfully, they hadn't been dissolved completely at that point, otherwise they would have ceased to exist. Bardiche and Raging Heart flashed, transferring any magic they had to their wielders to keep them alive. Their survival was based on Fate and Nanoha's survival.

Jail turned his hate filled glare to the now non-existent chamber doors, his Numbers assassins doing the same. Signum charged through the smoke and grit, along with Shamal, Vita and Zafira, each brandishing weapons of their own. The Samurai and City Guards also accompanied them, filling in the other end of the room, clearly outnumbering Jail and his lackeys.

"In the name of the Empress!" Signum exclaimed, pointing Levantine at all of them. "Surrender now and you will not be harmed!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Outo/Outo-san = Father_

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee) _

_Baka Yaro = Stupid Bastard_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	35. Tears of the Saint

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ Good catch on that spelling error. You are correct, father in Japanese is spelt Otou-san. I'm not sure how I made that huge blunder, more than once might I add, considering I spelt it correctly in previous chapters. Lol. Oh well. XD Here's the next chapter! :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 34: Tears of the Saint ~ ***

_"Mama! Mama!"_

Fate was floating. She was somewhere dark and silent, her body unmoving, nothing more than leaden weight. Yet, from somewhere within the depths of the void, something called out to her, screaming and yelling.

_"Mama!"_

That voice, pure innocence itself, continued to plead with Fate. To come back. To stop falling into the darkness. To wake up.

_"Mama!"_

Fate groaned softly, her eyes fluttering for a moment before they opened slowly. Her vision was blurred at first, the sounds of the battle surrounding her echoing in her ears like a ringing bell. A relieved gasp also sounded nearby, the unclear face of someone she knew, yet not, at the same time, came into view.

"Mama?"

"Who...?" Fate croaked, her throat dry. It took another few seconds before her vision cleared more, burgundy coloured eyes focusing on the face of a young child. A child with blonde hair and green and red eyes.

"Mama," the child said softly, clutching at her arm. "It's Vivio."

Fate blinked lethargically, for a moment considering never to open her eyes again when she closed them. But that thought was quickly squashed when Vivio's scared cries reached her ears again.

"Mama! Don't leave!"

Wine coloured eyes were forced open again, Fate catching sight of tears streaming down Vivio's face. The girl's grip on her arm squeezed tighter.

"Vi... vio..." Fate murmured weakly.

"Uhn," the girl responded, never letting go. "Vivio is here Mama."

"Vivio..." Fate closed her eyes again.

* * *

It was absolute chaos.

Shamal honestly didn't know what to expect when they first stormed the place. She only knew that it was going to be very bad. Having just come from healing a very battered Arf, they finally figured out what the demon fox had been deliriously mumbling about. Fate had gone to find the door to Al Hazard, and in the process, she had been attacked by the Numbers and Jail Scaglietti.

Shamal hated that man. She knew he was nothing but trouble the moment she saw that wicked, devious smile of his. The sneaky underhanded tactic his subordinate used in the battle versus Signum only added to her already growing suspicions of the man. And when Rein had finally been returned to them, albeit under mysterious circumstances, the little sprite recounted the bits and pieces of what she remembered during her imprisonment, all of it pointing at Jail. Shamal was ready to gut the man by the end of it. Strangling him with Klarer Wind's wires wouldn't do the atrocities he'd done justice.

"Mama! Mama!"

Shamal's head jerked up to the sounds of the screaming, her heart sinking quickly as she sought out the little one. While the Samurais kept the Numbers clan busy, the blue assassins apparently at Jail's beck and call, the City Guards freed the hostages and escorted them to a safer place. Shamal's apprentice healers ran from wounded to wounded, zipping in and out of the mini battles going on all over the place, attending too all they could get their hands on. They too would be retreating with the City Guards until the battle was over, something Signum had ordered them to do despite Shamal's protests.

"Mama! Don't leave!"

Shamal was starting to panic. All of the hostages had been evacuated at this point and the last of her apprentices had left the battlefield as well. A few of the City Guards remained, doing their best to support the Samurai as they battled on, but in all the madness, none of them had even noticed the little girl crying out. But Shamal had. And it was driving her crazy that she had yet to spot the child in all of this chaos.

A flash of gold.

There!

Violet coloured eyes locked onto the small form, closer to what she assumed to be the massive double doors leading to Al Hazard. Next to the child were two immobile forms, and Shamal couldn't but fear the worst, thinking it was the child's parents.

"Shamal-san! Look out!"

At Zafira's call, Shamal caught sight of a blur in her peripherals. Turning her head in that direction, she immediate found a Numbers assassin darting straight at her.

"**Sturmwinde!"**

An arc of fire cut between Shamal and the attacking blue assassin, forcing Due to make a quick retreat lest she be slashed in half and set on fire. Changing direction, the blue assassin darted off, away from the Empress' attendant, with an enraged Signum just steps behind her.

"Shamal-san," Zafira said, finally closing the distance between the two of them.

Shamal looked at the demon wolf, clutching her chest, breathing heavily and shaking. Had it not been for Signum's interception, who knows what state she would have been in right now. As skilled a wire user she was, she simply wasn't fast enough to keep up with the current battles going on right now.

"I'm alright," Shamal quickly said, noting the worried expression Zafira gave her.

"Mama!"

Shamal's gaze quickly returned to the crying child, Zafira also following her line of sight. The blue demon wolf growled.

"Hop on," Zafira barked. "I'll get you there."

"Hai!"

* * *

"Kami-sama..."

Shamal collapsed to her knees in shock, right next to Vivio. The girl gave a surprised squeak at that action, but did nothing more than stare at Shamal in surprise. Getting to the girl was no easy feat. Zafira took nearly ten minutes to get here despite the distance being quite short. Hastily, Shamal half jumped, half slipped off of the blue demon wolf's back the moment they were in the clear, the Empress' attendant scrambling over towards the small child and the girl's parents as fast as she could. The moment she came close enough to see the fallen forms, Shamal was ready to faint.

"F-F-Fate-san? N-Nanoha-san?"

Shamal's brain was clearly having a hard time processing what her eyes were obviously showing it. Here laid Fate and Nanoha, both girls badly injured and unconscious. While that in itself was not surprising, as they had rescued a lot of familiar faces from the Middle District in this place, the legendary weapons nearby along with the girls' clan insignia's certain threw the blonde attendant for a loop.

Both girls were on their stomachs, their clan insignias as clear as day on their backs. While she may not have seen them in person, Shamal recognized the bolt of lightning on Fate's back belonging to the Thunder Reaper, and the three stars on Nanoha's back as belonging to the White Devil. A cracked and nearly shattered Bardiche and Raging Heart nearby also confirmed the girls' alter egos. Nanoha and Fate were the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper.

"Mama! Wake up!"

Vivio's cries snapped Shamal out of her stupor, the healer immediately getting to work on examining her friends' injuries. Both girls were barely alive by the looks of things, Nanoha in much worse shape than Fate, judging by how pale the brunette was. That was probably due to the amount of blood she lost, most of it staining her white garb red with the excess pooling around her on the floor. Fate was also pretty banged up, shackled even, making Shamal feel sick to the stomach at the thought of how she ended up that way.

"Klarer Wind," Shamal whispered. "Please help me save them."

Klarer Wind chimed.

"Tranquil breeze, carry forth a blessing of healing!"

Zafira watched silently as green magic flowed from Shamal's fingertips and over Nanoha and Fate. Like Shamal, he too had been surprised to discover that both girls were the elusive assassins they had sought out for so long. At first, the demon wolf thought it was a fake, an illusion or some sort of deception. But the scent of blood never lied. These were indeed the bubbly brunette and quiet blonde they had all come to befriend over the years. To see them here, hanging onto life by a thread, Zafira wanted to murder Jail, painfully, and slowly.

"Get the key you fools!" Jail's voice boomed over all of the noise. "We cannot let it escape!"

Speak of the devil.

Vivio whimpered at Jail's command, her green and red eyes immediately looking around nervously. Zafira was the first one to catch sight of three Numbers assassins breaking away from their opponents, charging straight at the small blonde. The blue demon wolf roared, magical blades of white shooting up from the ground at the approaching assassins. All assassins dodged the attacks just in the nick of time, the attack itself only slowing them down a fraction.

"Ile..." Vivio said in horror, her eyes widening as the assassins narrowed in on her.

Shamal started to sweat, her gaze darting back and forth between the two she was healing, Vivio, Zafira and the darting Numbers assassins. She could not risk using her wire technique now. She was almost certain the moment she stopped her healing magics, she'd lose both Fate and Nanoha for good. Shamal wasn't about to let that happen.

"Ile..." Vivio repeated, utterly shaking now. Her small hands grabbed at the closest thing to her, that being both Fate and Nanoha's hands, the small blonde child clutching tightly at them as she shook.

"Mama..." Vivio said, tears streaming faster down her cheeks. The Numbers assassins still came at her, at them, in spite of Zafira rushing at them to intercept them.

"MAMA!"

Hundreds of magical orbs, both pink and yellow, materialized in the air around them. Shamal sat frozen in her spot, wide-eyed in shock, amazement and fear. A split second after they condensed, the magical orbs shot off faster than she could blink, each and every single one of them zipping off in different directions and trajectories. Everything within a one hundred meter radius from Vivio, that which threatened her, became a target.

Signum and Vita stared slack jawed and rooted in their stances as an unbelievable amount of magic whizzed by them both, homing in on the Numbers assassins like heat seeking missiles. Soon the entire chamber was filled with a cascade of explosions, Hayate's knights just barely having enough time to call up protection barriers against the fallout. When all the smoke and dust settled, they were left gawking at the amount of damage done. Neither the Numbers assassins nor Jail were within sight, all of them having made a hasty exit to avoid being killed in that bombardment.

Then all gazes turned back to the small, sobbing blonde child, Vivio begging Fate and Nanoha to open their eyes. Shamal had just barely managed to maintain her healing spell through all of that, despite the notable distraction just moments before.

"Signum!" the blonde attendant exclaimed, snapping the samurai out of her shock. The moment the pinkette saw Fate and Nanoha, her jaw dropped and she stood frozen, gawking.

"Call back my Deshi!" Shamal shouted at the captain. "I need them if we're going to save Nanoha and Fate!"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ This is one of the shorter chapters for this piece, but don't worry. All the chapters here on out will be much longer. :3_

_For those of you wondering, Shamal's healing magic used in this chapter was her Calming Heal spell. Zafira's attack was Steel Yoke._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Kami = God_

_Deshi = Apprentice/Pupil _

_Sturmwinde = Storm Winds (German)_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	36. Ripple

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! There seemed to be some confusion at the end of the previous chapter about who summoned those hundred of magical orbs at the end which blasted at the Numbers and Jail. Admittedly, I didn't think of this alternate possibly, but looking back on it now, I can see how readers came to that conclusion. Just to clarify, the magical bombardment of pink and yellow orbs at the end of the previous chapter was created by Vivio and NOT by Nanoha and Fate. Both of our leading ladies are out cold, nor were they in any capacity to call forth such a strong burst of magic. Just to repeat, Vivio attacked the Numbers at the end of the last chapter, driving them away, NOT Nanoha and Fate. Hopefully that clears up that confusion._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review! ^^ It's my pleasure to be able to reply back to you. A few years ago I vowed to reply back to all the review, favorites, etc, and have been doing that ever since. I think the readers appreciate that, knowing that their words are being read. For me as an author, I appreciate the feedback and improve my stories based on what readers point out. Congratulations on getting your laptop. ^^ That will definitely make things easier to read. Hehe. Enjoy the next chapter. :) _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 35: Ripple ~ ***

A groan escaped Fate's lips as the rising sun roused her from her slumber. It had been a fitful sleep at best, the flashes of horrific sights, and the sounds of pain, haunting her dreams. Scrunching up her face, Fate tried rolling onto her side to escape the sunlight warming her face, only to realize she was being held down by something.

"Mama..."

Or rather someone.

Burgundy coloured eyes snapped open in surprise, immediately locking onto the person clamped on her arm. Blonde hair, one shade darker than her own, splayed across her pillow and the one next to her. A small mass lay next to her on her left, a tiny arm curled around her forearm. Fate blinked in surprise.

"_Mama," the child said softly, clutching at her arm. "It's Vivio."_

"So it wasn't a dream after all..." Fate said quietly. Looking beyond Vivio's small form, Fate's breath got caught in her throat as she spotted brown hair.

"N-Nanoha..."

"_I have never loved a person more than I have Fate. And that would never happen if she wasn't human!"_

Fate bit back a pained whimper as she forced herself up with her right elbow. Rolling on her side, careful not to wake Vivio in the movement, Fate slowly reached across the bed to touch Nanoha's cheek. The brunette was deep asleep, flat on her back, with her head tilted partially in Fate's direction. Nanoha let out a soft murmur, a smile curling on her lips the moment Fate cupped her cheek. Fate smiled.

They were safe.

She and Nanoha. And Vivio.

They were all safe.

Stroking Nanoha's cheek softly, Fate's gaze wandered down to Vivio again, the smile on her face never wavering. Vivio had both her arm and one of Nanoha's arms hugged to her chest, holding onto them tightly. Wine coloured eyes were filled with such warmth.

Vivio had called her Mama.

The small child had called both of them Mama.

Fate didn't know why, but just hearing that word made her so happy. While she didn't understand the connection between them, Fate knew this was right. The three of them together just felt right. The youngest Harlaown's heart was practically bursting with happiness at the moment. For right now, Fate felt whole.

The door to the room opened.

"Fate-san," Shamal said in surprise. She hadn't expected to see the blonde up so fast, considering her grave injuries from the day before.

"Shamal-sama," Fate said, turning to look back at the other blonde. "Zafira-san," she said in greeting to the demon wolf who trailed behind the Empress' attendant.

"Everyone will be relieved to hear you're awake, Fate-san," Zafira said. Fate didn't miss the undercurrent of worry and relief in the demon wolf's voice.

"What... happened?" The youngest Harlaown asked, groaning some more as she sat up completely.

Shamal swiftly made her way over to Fate's bedside, setting down some medical supplies on the nearby table. "I could ask you the same thing..." the attendant said, giving Fate a once over. "... Thunder Reaper."

Fate went stiff as a board, her eyes widening slightly.

"I think we both have some explaining to do, ne?" Shamal smiled at Fate.

Fate laughed wearily. "I guess we do." A pause. "Where am I exactly?"

"Shamal-san would have preferred to keep you all in the imperial hospital," Zafira commented. The blue demon wolf sat down on his haunches next to Shamal. "But with that little one threatening to blast everyone for looking at you funny, it was decided it was best to keep you all in the same room and in the same bed."

Fate blinked. "Little one..." She looked down at Vivio, the small child still attached to her arm. "Blasting... everyone?"

Shamal laughed wearily. "N-now, now, Zafira-san," the green robed attendant said. "Fate doesn't need to know about that right now. Right now, her number one concern should be recovering."

"Uh... huh..." Fate said in confusion. She looked between Shamal and Zafira.

"Fate-mama?" came a sleepy voice next to Fate. Vivio sat up yawning before rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning Vivio." Fate smiled._ She's as cute as Nanoha when waking up!_ Fate wanted to squeal.

"Mornin'," Vivio mumbled still not quite awake. Then she froze in her spot and blinked. "Fate-mama?" Heterochromic eyes looked at Fate in surprise.

"Hai?"

"Mama!" Vivio tackled Fate, squeezing her tightly. "Mama's awake! Vivio was so scared!"

Fate almost fell off the bed from Vivio's jump attack, only Shamal's bracing arm saving them both from a rough meeting with the floor. The youngest Harlaown bit her lip, stifling back a pained groan as Vivio cried into her shoulder.

"Nanoha-mama won't wake up," the little girl sobbed.

Concern and fear immediately filled wine coloured eyes, Fate immediately seeking out Shamal's gaze.

The Empress' attendant pursed her lips. Shamal looked over at the still slumbering Nanoha. "Both of you were in pretty bad shape when we found you, Fate-san," Shamal began. "We almost lost you both at one point. Had we not gotten there when we did... If we had arrived just a few minutes later..."

Shamal didn't need to go on for Fate to know how dire the situation was the night before.

"I've done what I can for you, healing all of your most major injuries," the green robed attendant continued. "But both of you will need some more rest to recover completely."

"And Nanoha?" Fate said, looking over at the brunette.

"Nanoha-san..." Shamal paused. "She lost so much blood. I've never seen her so pale before..."

Shamal's hands clenched into fists on her lap. Tears threatened to fall. "I... I..." Shamal jumped when something cold poked her fist. It was Zafira's nose.

"Don't give up on Nanoha-san just yet," the blue demon wolf said. "She's stronger than she looks. I'm sure she'll make it through."

Shamal smiled slightly, wiping away her tears on her sleeves. "Y-you're right," she said with softly. "Nanoha-san just needs a bit more rest and I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Fate-mama," Vivio said, tugging lightly at Fate's shirt.

"Hai Vivio?"

"When will Nanoha-mama wake up?"

Fate shot a glance at Shamal who returned the glance with an uneasy look. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon Vivio," the blonde said with smile. "Nanoha-mama is just really tired right now and needs her rest."

Vivio looked sadly at Nanoha.

"Hey," Fate said, drawing Vivio's attention back to her. "She'll wake up. I promise." Fate put her hand over top Vivio's on her lap. "And when she does, can you do something for me?"

Vivio looked at Fate, blinking.

"When she wakes up, can you give her a big hug for me?"

Vivio's face lit up with a bright smile. "Uhn!"

"Good girl," Fate said, kissing Vivio on the forehead.

Shamal smiled as she watched the scene unfold before her. Fate would make a great mother. There wasn't a doubt in Shamal's mind about that. Put her together with Nanoha, and before anyone would know it, Vivio would be spoiled rotten. No one would be able to separate them from each other.

The Empress' attendant glanced at the door to the trio's room. Now if only she could get Signum to come around...

A loud grumble.

Everyone looked at Fate, the youngest Harlaown blushing madly with a hand over her stomach.

"Mama?" Vivio queried the blonde curiously.

"I think someone is hungry," Shamal said chuckling.

"Maybe... just a little..." Fate said quietly, obviously very embarrassed about it.

Vivio giggled along with Shamal, that is, until her stomach growled noisily too. Like Fate, Vivio immediately flushed, grabbing at her stomach.

"I'm not the only one it seems." Fate smiled at this.

"Vivio-chan," Shamal said. "How about you, me, and Zafira-san go get your _Mama_ something to eat?" The Empress' attendant gave Fate a knowing look.

Fate stared at Shamal in surprise, blushing more when emphasis was put on her new title.

"Mama?" Vivio said, looking at Fate uncertain.

Fate smiled. "Go on Vivio," she said. "Don't forget to bring back something for Nanoha-mama too for when she wakes up later. Okay?"

"Hai!" Vivio said, absolutely beaming. "I'll be right back Fate-mama, Nanoha-mama." Vivio hugged Fate tightly. "Vivio promises to be good."

* * *

Fate smiled, waving as Shamal led Vivio out of the room with Zafira in tow. When the door to the room closed completely, burgundy coloured eyes turned back to the other occupant of the bed. Nanoha was still unconscious, but alive.

Lying down, already feeling the pull of sleep calling to her, Fate shifted across the bed until she was right next to the sleeping brunette. Only Nanoha's soft breaths were heard now, Fate's gaze lingering on her best friends face. Like before, Fate's hand went up to cup Nanoha's cheek, her thumb gently stroking Nanoha's skin.

"Did you mean what you said before... Nanoha?"

"_I have never loved a person more than I have Fate."_

Wine coloured eyes squeezed shut, tears building up behind Fate's eyelids. For so long she waited to hear those words. For so long she wished for them to be true. Her love reciprocated. And while she never had the courage to tell her best friend how she truly felt all this time, somehow Nanoha knew. The brunette knew how Fate felt, and she returned those feelings.

Fate couldn't describe the feeling of completeness she felt when Nanoha uttered those words. After all of this time, all of her wishes had finally come true. Yet... Yet was it already too late?

"_Both of you were in pretty bad shape when we found you, Fate-san," Shamal began. "We almost lost you both at one point. Had we not gotten there when we did... If we had arrived just a few minutes later..."_

Fate's thoughts went back to Miyuki, the other Takamachi still asleep in the imperial hospital. Shamal had done all she could for that girl too, but the brunette had yet to awake. Would the same thing happen with Nanoha?

Burgundy coloured eyes opened again, tears leaking out as Fate's face inched closer to her best friend's. "I love you too, Nanoha," she said weakly, before leaning in to kiss the brunette on the forehead. She would not steal a kiss on the lips now. That would be reserved for the special time, when they both were awake and wanted it. Not now.

"Please," the blonde pleaded softly. "Please wake up soon, so I can finally tell you that."

* * *

"I'm sorry Empress," Carim said regretfully. "We are no further along since the last time we met."

Hayate frowned but nodded. "I understand," she said, giving the blonde a strained smile. "I appreciate you visiting to let me know. Please contact me immediately when you learn something further."

"Of course, Empress," Carim said bowing.

Before long, the last remaining descendent of the Oracle was gone, leaving Hayate alone on the balcony to think.

"Hayate-sama?" After escorting Carim and her bodyguard out of the Imperial Palace, Signum promptly returned to the Empress' chambers to check on the brunette.

"Signum," Hayate said, looking over her shoulder at the pinkette. Hayate still leaned against the railing of the balcony, gazing at the Middle District.

"Is everything alright, Empress?"

Hayate smiled, even though Signum couldn't see it. Her back was to the samurai after all. "Just... thinking..." She said wistfully.

Signum remained silent.

"It's been quite a few days, hasn't it?"

The swordswoman tiredly looked at the Middle District. "It has," Signum agreed.

"Who would have thought Fate-chan and Nanoha-chan were the Thunder Reaper and the White Devil." Hayate chuckled.

Just like everyone else, Signum too was stunned to learn the black and white assassins' true identities. Shaken in fact. Thinking about it now however, the samurai realized all of the clues were there, staring her in the face. She just hadn't picked up on it until now.

"Did I ever tell how I met them?" Hayate asked, her voice breaking Signum out of her thoughts.

"I didn't think it was my place to ask," Signum replied.

Hayate smiled. The pinkette was always respectful like that. Sometimes annoyingly so. But that's one of the things she admired about the samurai. Her knight. And best friend.

"The day fire rained from the heavens, I thought I was going to die," Hayate said as she began her recollection "But then two girls and a demon fox found me..."

* * *

_~ Japan. Ten Years ago. During the Garden of Time Incident. ~_

Hayate awoke to the sound of barking and whimpering, the brunette dazed and semi conscious. Pain was all she knew, every breath she took a wheezing one. Hours ago, she woke up where she currently lay, pinned down under the rubble of what used to be her house. The moment she tried to move an inch away from her spot, pain wracked her entire frame, paralysing her. She had long given up on getting help from anyone, to escape this hellish landscape.

For the first few hours since waking, Hayate screamed until her voice was hoarse and her throat sore, vainly hoping someone would find her and save her. But no one ever came. And for every hour after that, she lost hope, slipping in and out of consciousness as the sky above her turned redder with each passing moment. Then something cold poked her in the cheek.

"Arf!" Fate called after the tiny demon fox. The blonde came reeling around the corner with Nanoha in tow, Arf having taken off like a rocket without warning, barking incessantly.

Nanoha gasped at the sight of the trapped girl, half buried under large stones and broken wood. The youngest Takamachi darted ahead, sliding to a stop on her knees next to the half conscious girl.

"Wh... what?" Hayate looked up at the shadow covering her in confusion. Who was that? Was this a dream?

"Fate-chan! Help me!" Nanoha cried out, feebly trying to lift the boulders pinning down Hayate's prone form.

The blonde complied without hesitation, positioning herself on the other side of Hayate from Nanoha, pushing with all of her strength against the largest piece of debris. But the blasted thing wouldn't move, no matter how much they pushed. Even Arf tried to help, the tiny demon fox doing her best to claw away at the earth beneath it with no luck.

"Who... are you...?" Hayate said, looking at the trio around her.

"Nanoha," Nanoha gritted out, trying vainly to push at the stone again. "I'm Takamachi Nanoha. But you can just call me Nanoha."

Hayate blinked.

"Fate Testerossa," was the blonde's reply on the other side of her. Even the little orange demon fox barked, as if replying with a name.

"Nanoha-chan... Fate-chan..." Hayate said as the girls tried for the umpteenth time to free her from the rubble. Hayate closed her eyes, sighing. "It's no use..." she said, her tone already beaten. "It won't move. I'm trapped here until I die."

"Don't say that!" Nanoha snapped, making Hayate jump from the outburst. Fate too looked at Nanoha in shock, surprised by the harsh response from her new friend.

"If we can't move it," Nanoha continued. "Then we'll just have to find someone else who can!"

* * *

_~ Back to the present. ~_

"Nanoha-chan stayed with me while Fate-chan and Arf-chan went off to search for an adult to help," Hayate said. She smiled, remembering that day years ago. "They weren't able to find anyone at the time and because night was falling quickly, Fate-chan decided to come back and wait with us rather than stumble around in the dark."

Signum silently listened to Hayate's tale, the samurai never realizing just how important Nanoha and Fate were to her. The pinkette knew they were great people, having gotten to know them herself, but to hear of their adventures as children, Signum couldn't but respect them even more.

"It got so cold that night and I probably wouldn't have survived if I was on my own," Hayate continued. "Nanoha-chan let me use her stuffed bunny as a pillow while Fate-chan shared her cape with all of us. We all kept each other warm, even Arf-chan," Hayate said with a smile. "And the next day we were found and separated."

Hayate pushed herself back from the railing to stand up straighter. "I wouldn't find out until months later what happened to them. When we finally met back up again, it was like we were friends our entire lives. We just clicked."

The brunette jumped slightly, feeling a hand on her shoulder. Signum smiled at her softly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I want to save them, Signum," Hayate said swallowing back the lump in her throat. "They saved me all those years ago. Now it's my turn to save them."

"And you will," Signum said without a hint of doubt in her voice. The samurai opened her mouth to speak again but instead tensed before tackling Hayate to the ground.

_BOOM!_

Hayate winced as the ground shook underneath them, dust coating the air. Gritting her teeth, Signum jumped to her feet, her blue eyes widening. From the balcony, she could see a large hole blasted through the north wing of the Imperial Palace, just a few levels down from where they were. Blue assassins retreated from the opening, Signum catching sight of blonde hair in the grasp of one of the assassins.

"Signum!"

Signum's eyes met Hayate's and both of them took off running towards the lower levels. The closer they got to it, the louder the sounds of fighting became. Turning the corner, Signum skidded to a halt. Hayate almost ran straight into her back but managed to the stop at the last second.

At the very end of the corridor was Signum's samurais, fighting against Numbers assassins. As valiantly as her men and women fought, her eyes were on the ground where a familiar green robed attendant lay motionless. Right next to her was Zafira. Rein and Agito were with the downed pair, Rein doing what she could to heal Shamal and Zafira, while Agito fired off magic attacks at the blue assassins in warning when then got too close.

Signum barely heard Hayate gasp behind her, her eyes widening as the crimson stain on Shamal's green garb grew bigger and bigger and bigger. "S-Shamal-san?"

Levantine was in her hand before she knew it, the legendary blade blazing with fire.

"**Sky-Piercing Fang!"**

The Captain of the Samurai darted forward in a burst of inhuman speed, slashing at the closest Numbers assassin in range. Anger and rage powered her attack, and fury added its punch. Blood would be spilt today, in retribution if for nothing else. Signum would make sure of it.

"_Kisama!_"

* * *

"_Mama! Mama!"_

Nanoha clutched at the blankets with white knuckled fists, sweat rolling down the side of her face.

"_Mama! Help me!"_

"Vi..vio..." the brunette whispered, twisting in bed.

"_Don't let them take me! Mama!"_

Nanoha jolted upwards in bed, panting heavily. A groan escaped her lips, the brunette clutching at her stomach as pain shot outwards through the rest of her body. Hunching over, it took a few moments for her to catch her breath, the pain eventually subsiding into a dull ache. Wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, Nanoha took a quick look at her surroundings. While she didn't recognize where she was, the architecture and the layout of the room reminded her a lot of the Imperial Palace.

"Nanoha..." came a soft whisper to her right.

"F-F-Fate-chan?" Violet coloured eyes went wide in shock as they landed on the blonde sleeping next to her.

What was Fate doing here, in her bed?

Wait.

She was in bed. With Fate.

Nanoha's cheeks went beet red at the thought. Now wait a minute! They actually didn't... Nanoha looked down, finding herself in clothes not her own. How it relieved her to know she wasn't naked as she expected. Not that doing it with Fate was a shameful thing. She just wanted to be awake when that one special moment came. She wanted to remember it, every detail of it.

Wait.

Why was she even thinking about such things?

Nanoha's face went even redder. Did Fate even like her like that? The blonde had never openly said anything to hint that, though there were those times when Nanoha couldn't but wonder about it. As if to answer Nanoha's thoughts, Fate shifted in her sleep, ending up with her head resting on Nanoha's lap with her arms circled around Nanoha's waist. The brunette stared at her best friend in disbelief, her hands held to her chest, as the blonde nuzzled her leg, smiling. Kami-sama, she was going to have a nosebleed!

The sound of buzzing.

Nanoha tensed instantly, putting a hand on Fate's head as she stared at the straight ahead. "So it wasn't a dream after all," she said, before turning to face the black garbed assassin to her left.

"No," the black assassin replied. The small one stood at Nanoha's bedside.

"Who are you really?" Nanoha stroked Fate's hair, the blonde murmuring happily, oblivious to the current conversation. "You're not the Thunder Reaper's apprentice, are you?"

The moment Fate was revealed to be the Thunder Reaper, Nanoha knew it couldn't have been her. She knew Fate couldn't have kidnapped and hurt her brother. She just knew.

"No," the black assassin answered. "That was merely a disguise my true master told me to use."

"And does your master have a name?" Violet coloured eyes narrowed at blood coloured ones.

"None that you would know," the black assassin replied.

"Is it Jail Scaglietti?"

The black assassin remained silent.

"I see," Nanoha said, her eyes narrowing further. "How about you?"

Crimson coloured eyes widened slightly. "Lutecia," the assassin replied a few seconds later. "Lutecia Alpine."

Lutecia didn't know what compelled her to tell the brunette her name. But before she knew what was happening, it was rolling off her lips like the most natural thing in the world.

"That's a pretty name."

Lutecia felt her cheeks burn at the compliment. She looked away from the brunette shyly.

"Why is Lutecia-chan working for a master who hurts people?"

Lutecia looked up to meet a cold, hard gaze. She said nothing.

"What does your master want?"

"My master requires your presence," Lutecia answered. "I am to use as much force as necessary to convince you."

Nanoha gritted her teeth. Lutecia's threat was not an empty one. She already had witnessed the girl's powers first hand. "If you leave Fate-chan out of this, I will come with you."

Lutecia glanced down at the blonde, and then met Nanoha's gaze again. "That is acceptable."

Closing her eyes, Nanoha took a deep breath, biting back a pained whimper as pain shot out from her stomach. Tired violet eyes opened again, looking longingly down at Fate. With one final stroke through the blonde's hair, Nanoha untangled herself from her best friend, giving Fate her pillow to hug instead. Fate quickly squeezed the substitute, cuddling it as she slept on.

Lutecia held up Raging Heart in dormant form to Nanoha the moment her feet touched the ground and she was out of bed. Nanoha was also handed a golden magatama jewel bracelet which she could only assume belonged to Fate and was Fate's legendary weapon. Turning back to the bed, Nanoha tied the bracelet around her friends wrist before turning around to leave.

"Nanoha..." Fate murmured quietly.

"_Did you mean what you said before... Nanoha?"_

In her sleep, Nanoha had heard Fate's soothing voice. Whether it was just her dreaming or if it was actually Fate talking to her while she was unconscious, the brunette didn't know. Turning back once more to her best friend, Nanoha leaned in and kissed Fate gently on the forehead.

"I meant every word I said, Fate-chan," Nanoha murmured, tucking some stray blonde strands behind Fate's ear. "I have never loved anyone more than I have loved you. And that is why I must do this, all by myself."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee) _

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	37. The Key to Al Hazard

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! I've tried to keep everyone as close as possible to their characters in the anime though I'm sure there will be a few OOC moments. Comments and reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ Hehe, I'm glad to hear you like reading this piece. I always worry that my chapters won't be up to reader's likings or something. I guess I'm just worrying too much. :P Hopefully this chapter is just as great as the last one. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 36: The Key to Al Hazard ~ ***

"Where is she!"

Fate was startled awake when someone grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and roughly yanked her up to sitting position. "Wha-what?" the blonde said bleary eyed and confused.

"Vita-chan!" a tiny voice exclaimed. "Fate-chan is still hurt!"

Fate blinked, gradually getting her bearings back, the fog of sleep lifting from her mind. Pain quickly made its presence known, as the one shaking her, the redhead she had yet to learn the name of, continued to scream at her.

"Where is she!" Vita shouted again, her small hands clenching tighter at Fate's shirt collar. A small silver haired form tugged at Vita's shoulder to no avail.

"That's enough Vita." Signum came striding through the bedroom door with another in tow. Fate didn't even have time to register who the other was as the samurai quickly came up to her bedside and separated Vita from her.

"But Signum!" Vita exclaimed. "She-

"Vita-chan."

That voice was soft and gentle, yet firm at the same time. Both Vita and Fate looked at Signum, the swordswoman blocking the owner of the voice from view.

"How about you go check on Zafira and Shamal, ne?"

Vita opened and closed her mouth a few times before visibly deflating. "Hai, Hayate." The redhead crawled off of Fate's bed and left the room without incident, but not before she sent the blonde a scowl. Fate didn't even notice it. Her attention was somewhere else at the moment.

"Hayate...?"

It was then Signum moved out of the way, revealing the one who had followed her into the room. The Empress smiled at Fate, tucking a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear.

"Rein-san," Signum said, glancing between the blonde and the brunette. "Can I speak to you for a moment... outside?"

The tiny sprite giggled, following the pinkette outside, shutting the door behind them. The room was silent after the door closed, neither occupant moving. It would be the Empress who made the first move, Hayate walking up to Fate's bedside, putting her hand on Fate's.

"Hi Fate-chan," Hayate said with a shy smile. "Long time no see."

* * *

"Fate!" Arf exclaimed, jumping onto the bed, immediately licking Fate's face.

"A-Arf!" Fate said in surprise, laughing. "P-please be gentle. I haven't healed up completely yet."

By now, everyone had gathered in Fate's bedroom, everyone being Hayate and her knights, Yunno, Arf, Lindy, Chrono and even Agito. There was still a noticeable limp in Zafira's walk and a wince of pain when Shamal sat down, but otherwise the pair was recovering rather well considering their state just hours ago.

"Easy there Arf-san," Chrono said with a smile. He pulled the demon fox off his step sister. Arf whined. "I know you're happy to see Fate-chan, but if you're not careful, you could hurt her more."

Arf pouted. Then her head perked up and the demon fox grinned. "Then how about this!"

Everyone in the room was startled when Arf suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, Chrono staggering backwards, letting the fox go when that happened. When the smoke dissipated, they all stared in shock.

"Puppy power!" the now tiny demon fox said. She sat on Fate's lap, on the bed.

Burgundy coloured eyes went wide. "A-Arf?" Arf was now a quarter of her original size, a small demon fox pup no bigger than a cat.

Puppy Arf grinned. "Hai Fate?"

"Kawaii!" Lindy squealed before snatching Arf off the bed. She immediately cuddled the puppy demon fox to her chest.

"Gah!" Puppy Arf exclaimed. "K-Kaa-san! Not so tight!"

Everyone laughed.

"Getting back to the topic at hand," Hayate said, drawing everyone's attention to her. Rein hovered near the Empress' shoulder. Hayate's smile faded as she turned her gaze back to Fate. "Can you tell us what happened Fate-chan? With Jail Scaglietti and the doorway to Al Hazard?"

Fate looked down at her hands, ones which clenched at the blanket pooling on her lap. Taking a deep breath, Fate recounted what happened.

"I asked Arf to show me the door to Al Hazard," Fate began.

"_Precia thought she was resurrecting her dead daughter," Jail continued in his ramblings. "But what she was really doing was creating a key, a very special key." _

"After that meeting," Fate said, referring to the one Yunno headed days ago, "I had to see it for myself, to see if what Yunno-kun had said was true."

Puppy Arf whimpered, having escaped from Lindy's clutches to sit on Fate's blanketed lap again. The puppy demon fox nuzzled the blonde's hand. "When I led Fate there, we were attacked by the Numbers," Puppy Arf growled. "Fate held them back while I escaped to warn you."

"_That fool of a woman, in her haste, messed things up and instead created a failed clone in the image of her daughter."_

Fate stroked Puppy Arf's head. "I was quickly overwhelmed by the Numbers," Fate said, gritting her teeth. "Even with Bardiche."

"**Sorry Sir," **Bardiche chimed. **"There were just too many."**

Vita glared at the blonde and would have retorted with a snarky remark had it not been for Signum putting a hand on her shoulder in warning. Agito, sitting on Signum's shoulder, looked between the two in confusion

"When I woke up again, Nanoha was..." Fate felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Nanoha was already bleeding on the floor next to me and everything was just... different."

Vita made a fist, her knuckles white.

"Scaglietti-san was there too," Fate said, her free hand gripping at her blanket tightly.

"_This is just too much," he said. "Just hours ago, you were at each other's throats, and now, you're all protective of each other. How touching!"_

Lindy and Chrono frowned, both of them having told the others of Jail's visit to Fate weeks before all of this happened. Hayate and her knights were shocked to hear this fact, but Rein quickly filled in the blanks for that conversation as it happened just before she was abducted.

"He kept going on and on about Al Hazard," Fate continued. "About Precia-san, and me."

"What did he say specifically, Fate-san?" Yunno asked reluctantly. It was obviously painful for the blonde to recount such things, but they had to know. If there was any hope of stopping this madness, they had to know the truth.

"_So gullible," Jail said, shaking his head with a smile. "Just like your mother."_

"The Garden of Time Incident," Fate said.

Everyone listened intently.

"Precia-san thought she was bringing her musume back to life by opening the doors to Al Hazard. But what she was really doing was creating a key to open the doors."

Fate looked up at everyone. "That key was me."

Audible gasps escaped the group, some of them paling.

"But she failed," Fate said looking down at her hands again.

"_That fool of a woman, in her haste, messed things up and instead created a failed clone in the image of her daughter."_

"I was incomplete or something happened and things just went wrong." Tears now fell freely from Fate's eyes. "If I hadn't been created ten years ago..." Fate's hand went up to her face, trying to stop the tears. Burgundy coloured eyes then looked up at Vita, the red head swallowing uncomfortably under her gaze. "Then no one would have been hurt, right?"

Fate forced a strained smile. "You lost someone precious that day, didn't you?" Fate said to Vita. "That's why you keep looking at me like that."

What Fate had said was true. Vita had lost someone precious to her, her whole family except for Hayate in fact. The redhead was old enough to understand death and loss despite being a mere babe at the time. Vita sat frozen under Fate's sorrowful, heart wrenching look. She didn't have the will to give the blonde a mean look or bitter retort like she usually would, so instead, she looked away shamefully.

"I'm sorry," Fate said sobbing. "I should have never been created!"

"Fate-" Lindy began only to be cut off.

"Fate-chan." Hayate was next to the blonde in an instant, pulling her into an embrace. Fate sobbed into her shoulder. "Never once have I regretted knowing you Fate-chan," Hayate said in a gentle voice. She stroked Fate's hair soothingly.

"You may hate yourself, but I don't."

"B-b-b-but I'm not even human," Fate's muffled words said.

Hayate shook her head. "But you are human Fate-chan." Hayate smiled as Fate looked up at her. "When you're happy, you smile. And when you're sad, you cry."

"_Fate is more human than anyone I have ever known." The hand on Fate's arm, squeezed tighter. "When she's happy, she laughs," Nanoha said with a small smile. "And when she's sad, she cries."_

Fate's eyes widened in realization.

"You couldn't do anything like that if you weren't human Fate-chan," Hayate continued. "So please," the brunette said. "Please don't think you're not worth it or that you would have been better off not being born. Because you are worth it. And had it not been for you and Nanoha-"

"And me!" Puppy Arf barked.

Hayate laughed. "And Arf-chan all those years ago, I wouldn't be here. So don't think that, alright?"

Fate slowly nodded.

Vita looked at the floor, clenching her jaw. Signum looked at the redhead but said nothing.

"_That in itself may not be enough proof, but I'll tell you this." Nanoha's stare bored into Jail. "I have never loved a person more than I have Fate."_

"Where is Nanoha?" Fate said, only now realizing that the brunette was not among them. Neither Vivio. "And Vivio," Fate added. She pulled back from Hayate to look at the others. "Were they taken to another room?"

Chrono pursed his lips together. "Fate-chan..." How was he going to explain this? "Fate-chan," Chrono repeated. "Nanoha-san and Vivio-san were..."

"Vivio-san was taken by the Numbers, Fate-san," Yunno said grimly. "After you had fallen back asleep."

"Wha-what?"

"And we think Takamachi-san went after Scaglietti-san to get her back," Signum added, also a grimness to her voice.

"But she..." Fate was finding it hard to speak. "She was right here! She was right here with me! And Vivio..." Fate looked to her left where Nanoha's pillow lay.

"I'm sorry Fate-san," Shamal said, her head bowed in shame. Her hands clenched into fists on her lap. "On our way to the imperial kitchens, the Numbers attacked and Vivio-chan was taken." Shamal was in tears. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect her."

Signum grimaced, visibly distressed at how Shamal was putting all the blame on herself for Vivio's abduction. Hesitantly, the samurai put an arm around the attendant's shoulders, Shamal immediately turning towards her and burying her face in Signum's shoulder. Agito tumbled off of the samurai's shoulder in the motion, quickly righting herself in the air with her wings. She looked at Shamal sadly. Signum, on the other hand, flinched in surprise at the blonde's reaction, but soon awkwardly wrapped her arms around the crying attendant in the hopes of soothing her.

"I too, am to blame," Zafira said, unable to meet Fate's gaze. "I wasn't strong enough to stop them."

"But... but why did they take her?" Fate said in confusion. "She-"

"I have reason to believe she was the new key," Yunno said. "To replace you Fate-san."

"Wha-what?"

"You said it yourself," Yunno continued. "For some reason, you failed as the key. Scaglietti-san needed a perfect key, which is why he had sacrifices gathered, you and Nanoha included, along with the Spirit Seeds."

The scholar paused a moment, running a hand through his hair. "According to my research, I originally thought the Spirit Seeds provided the power to open the doors to Al Hazard. Taking into account this new information about the key, it is most likely they instead act as a source of power in creating the key itself. We had always wondered why sacrifices were needed, and now we know why. With you and Nanoha-san being powerful magic wielders, his original sacrifices were not needed."

Fate's jaw hung loose. If what Yunno was saying was correct, that meant- "W-we have to save them!" She exclaimed, pale as a sheet. "Bardiche!"

"**Yes Sir!"**

"No Fate-san!" Shamal exclaimed in horror, pulling away from Signum.

Fate opened her mouth to say something else when an immense pain exploded outwards from her chest. The blonde clutched at her shirt tightly, struggling to breathe. The room was suddenly spinning, and all of the voices blurred into one around her.

"Fate-chan!"

Lindy and Chrono were immediately on their feet with worry, hovering near Fate's beside. Hayate held her shuddering friend, gently easing Fate back into bed as she wheezed for breath.

"Shamal!"

"She'll be alright Hayate-sama," Shamal said, already at Fate's bedside examining the blonde. "Her Linker Core is still a bit unstable from when Scaglietti-san used her and Nanoha-san to create the key."

"Her name... is Vivio..." Fate said weakly.

"So that's how Vivio-san got those powers," Signum said, frowning at Fate's weakened state.

"Hai," Shamal said. "Vivio-chan..."

The Empress nodded at her attendant.

"... inherited both Fate-san's and Nanoha-san's magic as the Thunder Reaper and the White Devil through the ceremony to create the key." Shamal paused. "I guess you could say, in some ways, she's Nanoha-san's and Fate-san's musume."

"Linker... Core...?" Fate murmured, sweat rolling down the side of her face. Exhausted burgundy coloured eyes looked at Shamal.

"Hai," the blonde attendant said. "A long time ago, we finally realized what produced magical reactions in some people and none in others."

"The Linker Core," Yunno said, continuing on for Shamal. "Everyone is born with one. Think of it as a type of organ. As people mature and grow old, sometimes the Linker Core becomes active, drawing on life experiences to make it grow. In most cases, people's Linker Core's stay dormant until death. But in a few cases, like you and Nanoha-san, sometimes a certain event triggers the awakening of the Linker Core, allowing you to use magic and the Legendary Weapons."

"Bardiche..."

"Hai," Yunno nodded.

"But because of the ceremony to create the new key, your Linker Core has been injured and is unstable right now," Shamal said. "That's one thing my healing magics could not fix. If you tried to use any heavy magical ability now, the strain of it will most likely kill you."

"But Nanoha..." Fate protested, despite the dropping of her eyes.

"We will find her, Testerossa-san," Signum said appearing next to Fate's bedside opposite Lindy and Chrono. "Just gets some rest now."

* * *

Nanoha panted, sweat drizzling her brow as she stumbled behind Lutecia. The smaller assassin kept looking back over her shoulder at her, crimson coloured eyes filled with concern. But the girl said nothing, continuing forward, leading the brunette to wherever her master was.

"Welcome! Welcome!" Jail exclaimed, upon Nanoha entering his secret base. They had been forced to retreat here until they regrouped, but that was of no concern to the alchemist. He knew things would be back in his favor soon enough.

Nanoha gritted her teeth, exhausted violet coloured eyes glaring at the man. She could feel a dozen eyes on her, from the time she step foot within a hundred meters of this place, up until now. Raging Heart hung around her neck in its dormant form. "What... do you want?" she said huffing.

"Straight to the point I see." Jail laughed.

Nanoha clenched her jaw.

"I'm here to make you a deal," the man said, smirking.

Nanoha's eyes narrowed further.

"Oh?" the alchemist commented. "Not talkative today? Here, let me see if I can change your mind." Jail snapped his fingers.

"Mama!"

Nanoha's eyes widened as one of the Numbers assassins came out from a back room with Vivio struggling in their grasp.

"Vivio!" Nanoha took a step towards the small child, only to be ensnared a second later. Her arm was twisted painfully behind her back while a strong arm curled around her throat.

"Not another step," Tre said.

"Mama!" Vivio screamed again, squirming more. The assassin holding Vivio grunted, trying to keep the child from flailing her limbs wildly. The alchemist wanted her left unharmed, no matter the circumstance.

"You see," Jail began. "It seems the key here has imprinted on you," he said. "And probably Fate as well," Jail added. "Unlike my beloved daughter, this thing can still open the door to Al Hazard, a bi-product of my many years refining Precia's cloning technique."

"Fate-chan does not belong to you!" Nanoha hissed. "Nor does Vivio!" Nanoha was immediately silenced when the arm around her throat pressed harder, cutting off half of her air supply.

Jail chuckled, unfazed. "No matter what I do to it, it refuses to open the door to Al Hazard for me." Jail walked up to Nanoha and peered down at her. "But for you, it would do anything."

To illustrate his point, Jail withdrew a hidden knife from his pocket and moved to stab Nanoha with it.

"MAMA!"

Before he could even touch her, the blade was blasted out of his hand by a pink bolt of magic, the alchemist quickly backtracking before another orb of magic, yellow this time, blew off his arm. Nanoha's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered.

"Vivio, it's alright!" the brunette said, hoping to ease the small child. "Mama is alright."

That seemed to calm the little girl down somewhat, Nanoha breathing in relief. The Numbers assassin restraining Vivio looked ready to snap her neck. Nanoha gritted her teeth, turning her gaze back to Jail. "Why do you want to go to Al Hazard so badly?" she asked.

"Go to Al Hazard?" Jail said incredulously. "My girl, you mistake my intentions."

Nanoha growled at the nickname he gave her.

"I never wanted to _go_ to Al Hazard," Jail continued. "The ceremony to open the doors was never meant to take me to Al Hazard. No, it was to make this world _into_ Al Hazard itself."

Nanoha's eyes widened. "But that would-"

"Destroy the world?" Jail finished for her. "I know!" he exclaimed proudly. "And I can't wait for that to happen!"

A maniacal laugh.

"Great power can only be formed from great sacrifice," the violet haired man continued to ramble. "The very Spirit Seeds themselves, while imbued with the magic from the ancient technologies of Al Hazard, they are also infused with the fallen souls of that world."

"Wha-what?" Nanoha's thoughts were reeling.

"Now do you understand why they are so volatile?" Jail sneered at the brunette. "That's because they are the very souls of those who lost themselves in the destruction of their world. They destroyed themselves with the very power they used against each other only to end up as that very power source!"

Nanoha could only stare at Jail in horror.

"There's nothing more potent than human emotions, don't you agree?"

"You're crazy!" Nanoha exclaimed.

"All revolutionaries are called crazy, my dear White Devil," Jail said, his grin widening. "That's because their ideas are before their time. Fear not. Soon enough, people will realize that I was not crazy, but a god!"

Nanoha struggled against Tre's hold to no avail.

"A god with a deal for you," Jail said coming back to his senses. "While that runt over there won't listen to me, I have... ways of forcing it to obey. Though," Jail paused. "I can't say it won't kill it if I go that route."

"You will not touch her!" Nanoha exclaimed.

"No, of course not," Jail said, a lopsided smile on his face. "That's where you come in. Bring me my beloved Fate, and the key can go free."

"What?" Nanoha could not hide the shock in her voice. "But-"

"Don't I need a key?" Jail said. He shook his head. "If I have Fate, I can make as many keys as I want." Jail laughed. "Despite her inability to open the door to Al Hazard, she's still an excellent sample for my... experiments..."

Nanoha wanted to murder the alchemist named Jail Scaglietti.

"So you have a choice," Jail said, oblivious to Nanoha's murderous intentions. "Either you give me Fate. Or you watch the key die."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ne = A term typically use__d at the end of sentences as a sort of confirmation _

_Kawaii = Cute_

_Musume = daugther_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	38. Reason for Living

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Whoa! Over 300+ reviews! You all are awesome! Thanks so much!_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below._

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ If you thought this cliffhanger was bad, I can only imagine what your reaction will be to this chapter's one... XD On a side note, Puppy Arf was a lot of fun to write about. :) Enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 37: Reason for Living ~ ***

The sun was warm as it peeked over the horizon, splashing the land with its orange glow. Soon, it would be high in the sky, rousing the citizens within all districts to go about their day. Most of them were completely oblivious of what was about to happen.

The White Devil stood atop the tallest building in the Middle District, Raging Heart held in her grasp. She was as still as a statue, breathing deeply as the sun's light washed over her white garb. Violet eyes were closed, the white assassin the picture of pure peace and calmness. Yet her thoughts were far from that.

"Hey, what's that?"

Heads tilted back, gazes looking upwards at the man's question. Soon gasps circulated on the streets below, followed by audible murmurs.

"It's the White Devil!" someone said in a hushed whisper.

"The White Devil? Where!"

A name that once drew praises and cheers now instilled fear in the hearts of Japan's citizens.

"What's he doing here?"

"Is he going to attack us?"

Violet coloured eyes snapped open, immediately peering down at the crowd collecting on the street below. People recoiled under her gaze, mothers dragging their children to safety while men merely gawked at her. The Samurai and the City Guards were already narrowing in on her position, the White Devil making out their tiny forms racing along the adjacent streets towards her. It wouldn't be long now.

* * *

"You should be resting."

Burgundy coloured eyes looked at the door before turning back to the task at hand. "And you should be out searching for the Numbers and Jail Scaglietti."

Signum walked into the room, watching as the blonde before her donned black, covering up every bit of her body with the exception of her eyes. Agito quietly followed after the samurai, hovering in the air near Signum's right shoulder. The lightning bolt insignia shined brightly on the Thunder Reaper's back.

"Testerossa-"

"Save it for later, Signum-sama," the Thunder Reaper said. "I'm going, no matter what you or anyone else says about the matter."

Signum pursed her lips together, holding the pommel of Levantine. "At least-"

"She's all alone out there," the Thunder Reaper interrupted. "Fighting against a madman to save our musume."

The samurai looked at the black assassin in shock.

"Yes," the Thunder Reaper continued. "Vivio is our musume. Mine and Nanoha's. She may have been born a different way, like me, but she is just as human as I am."

The Thunder Reaper finished tying her face mask and went on to double checking her gauntlets. "I'm going to save her. And Nanoha. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Testerossa-san..."

"Bardiche!"

"**Yes Sir!"**

In a flash of light, Bardiche materialized in the Thunder Reaper's hands. Gripping the onyx weapon in her right hand, the black assassin turned back to face the samurai and the fire sprite.

"I love them, Signum-sama."

The Thunder Reaper swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Please, don't stop me." A plea, not a warning. "I don't know what I'll do if anything happened to them."

Signum was silent for a few seconds before walking up to the black assassin. She placed a hand on the Thunder Reaper's shoulder. "I shall open up the way for you then, Testerossa-san," the Captain of the Samurai said.

Burgundy coloured eyes widened in surprise. Agito nodded.

"Save them," Signum said. "Both of them. And all of you come back to us afterwards."

Wine coloured eyes teared slightly.

"Hai."

* * *

"A rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Quattro laughed, watching as middle district citizens fled for their lives, screaming in the streets as her sisters lashed out at the Samurai and the City Guards nearby.

"This isn't what I agreed to!" the White Devil hissed, looking on in desperation as civilians got caught in the cross fire between defenders and attackers.

"Our orders are to ensure your safety until your task done," Tre said, crouching next to the White Devil after throwing back a samurai. "Do not hate us for doing what we were ordered to do."

The White Devil made a fist, her jaw clenching. Things were not supposed to happen this way. No one was supposed to get hurt!

"**Kometfliegen!"**

"**Sturmfalken!"**

Bolts of orange and purple magic blasted past the White Devil on both her right and left, forcing the two Numbers assassins standing with her to dodge to the side. Violet coloured eyes looked up and across, landing on three forms on the rooftop opposite the one she stood on.

"Tch. About time they showed up," Quattro said in distaste.

"Don't forget what you're here to do," Tre reminded the White Devil. "We will keep the new arrivals away from you while you accomplish your task. Betray us, and your life is forfeit."

With that said, the two blue assassins took off, immediately engaging Vita and Signum, both of whom darted away to lure the Numbers assassins away from the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper. Battles continued to rage on around the assassin pair, neither of them moving from their spots. They stared at each other silently for a good few seconds, before the Thunder Reaper made the first move.

"Nano-"

The White Devil pointed Raging Heart at the Thunder Reaper. Burgundy coloured eyes glanced down at the white staff before moving up to meet tearful violet coloured eyes. "Nanoha."

"Please Fate-chan," the White Devil said, her voice shaking. "Don't come any closer."

The Thunder Reaper frowned, yet took a step forward. "Nanoha," she repeated.

The White Devil took a step back, biting her lip as water pooled at the corner of her eyes. Raging Heart trembled in her grasp. "Come any closer and I'll be forced to shoot."

The White Devil was torn. She had only two options to choose from at the moment. Either she fulfilled her end of the bargain with the madman Jail, or she was going back to the alchemist's secret base on a kamikaze mission to end it all. But could she really sacrifice her best friend, her secret love, to save Vivio? No, she couldn't. Yet, she couldn't do the opposite either, and leave Vivio to die.

"_Mama! Don't leave!" _

The Thunder Reaper gritted her teeth, the expression on the White Devil's face absolutely heartbreaking. "Nanoha," the Thunder Reaper repeated, taking another step forward. The White Devil backed up a step again. "Talk to me. Let me help you."

* * *

"What's that!" Rein exclaimed, pointing up at the sun. Hayate followed her gaze along with Shamal and Agito, the quartet standing on Hayate's bedroom balcony. A dark shadow started to block out the sun's light.

"It's starting," Yunno said, also on the balcony with them, glancing up at the sky. "It's a solar eclipse. The ceremony to open the doors to Al Hazard is starting right now! We don't have much time left!"

* * *

Signum gritted her teeth, narrowly evading Deed's twin blades as the assassin performed a diagonal slash. Quattro was in the background, creating illusion after illusion, duplicating her sister's likeness, successfully confusing the Captain of the Samurai as to which one was real and which one was fake. Meanwhile, Vita was currently occupied with fighting a Numbers assassin whom she had never met before, the assassin's insignia being 'VIII'.

"Ray Storm," Otto said before unleashing her signature attack at the redhead.

"**Panzerhindernis!"**

Vita just barely brought up her barrier in time to block the green magical attack, the hammer wielding knight gritting her teeth as she slid back a few feet on her heels from the powerful blast. On the back of Otto's gauntlet covered hand was one of Jail's Logia Relicia crystals embedded in the metal.

"Heavy Barrel."

Blue eyes widened as a massive beam of orange magic tore through the air towards Vita. A blur of blue darted in between Vita and the blast, a reverberating roar sounding as the attack connected. Dieci narrowed her eyes from the rooftop she occupied, waiting for the smoke to dissipate.

"Zafira!" Vita said in alarm. Zafira stood in front of Vita in a defensive stance. His blue fur still smoked.

"Don't worry about it," the blue demon wolf said. "This isn't enough to affect me."

* * *

"Erio-kun?"

The said redhead looked back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Caro," he said. In Erio's hand was a diamond magatama jewel. "I can't stay here while everyone else is getting hurt."

A small hand rested on Erio's arm. "So you're really going then, aren't you?" the pinkette said softly.

Erio nodded.

Friedrich looked at his master sadly, the tiny silver dragon currently perched on Caro's shoulder.

"Then I'm going with you."

"What?" Erio stared at Caro in disbelief.

Friedrich squawked, mimicking Erio's sentiment.

Caro held up two pink crystal magatama jewels in her hand, both of them tied together with a silver cord to form a bracelet. She smiled at the red head. "You're not the only one who has a little secret."

Erio's jaw moved up and down a few times, but no words came out. Then the redhead chuckled, shaking his head. "I should have known." Erio's expression soon saddened, tears threatening to fall.

"I really wanted to believe what happened before was not my fault... I..." A chocked sob escaped Erio's lips.

Friedrich crooned softly.

Caro put a hand on Erio's hand and squeezed. "Erio-kun," she said gently. The dragon summoner reached up and brushed Erio's tears away. "We'll protect them this time. All of them. I promise."

Watery blue eyes looked at Caro.

"Hai."

* * *

"Nanoha," the Thunder Reaper said, taking yet another step, leaving her at the edge of the rooftop she stood upon.

The White Devil backed yet up again, shaking her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I can't do it," she said. "I can't give you to him. But if I don't, Vivio will... she will..."

"**Sonic Move."**

"So that's what going on."

The White Devil gasped, Raging Heart now flush against the Thunder Reaper's chest. "F-F-Fate-chan!"

A black gloved hand wrapped around Raging Heart's shaft, holding it in place before the White Devil could point the weapon elsewhere. "Shoot me."

"W-what?" Violet eyes widened in shock.

"If that's the only way to save Vivio, and you, then shoot me." Burgundy coloured eyes were filled with such compassion and love, it hurt the White Devil to look at them.

"I can't!" the White Devil exclaimed. "Do you know what you're saying?"

* * *

"Kaa-san..."

Subaru knelt in front of a small shrine, her head bowed and her palms pressed together in prayer. In front of her was a picture of a woman with long violet hair and emerald coloured eyes matching her own. Near the base of the picture was a midnight blue magatama pendant. In the background, explosions and booms shattered the quiet air, screams and the sounds of battle echoing in a cacophony of chaos.

"I hope you're well, wherever you are," Subaru said in a soft voice. "Please watch over me and Tou-san and Gin-nee. I don't know what's going to happen in the next little while, but I hope I can at least make you proud."

Subaru rose from her position, picking up the midnight blue magatama jewel. She looked at the picture of her mother again. "I'm borrowing this for a bit, Kaa-san," she said. "But I promise to bring it back right afterwards. Just like before. Okay?"

"**Your mother would be proud."**

Subaru sniffled. "Thanks, Mach Caliber."

"Subaru?"

Subaru jumped. "T-T-Tea!" she said, quickly wiping her unshed tears on her sleeve. "What are you doing here?"

"Baka," Teana said in annoyance. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned casually against the door frame to their room. "I live here with you, remember?"

"Ahahaha... right..." Subaru said, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

Blue eyes wandered down to look at the pendant in Subaru's hand. "You're... going out there, aren't you?"

The blue haired Nakajima looked out the window solemnly. "Uhn," she murmured, watching as orange explosions erupted in the sky.

"You realize how dangerous it is out there, right?"

Subaru nodded.

"And you're still going?" Teana looked at companion incredulously.

"Uhn." Subaru's gaze dropped down to the pendant in her hand.

"Do you remember what happened the last time?" The orange magatama jewel hidden in Teana's fist was clenched tighter.

Subaru chuckled. "I remember," she said, rubbing her chin.

"Then why?"

"Because the last time I ran away, Kaa-san died."

Teana's eyes widened. "Subaru, you can't possibly feel responsible for that! That was-"

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me." Tears rolled down Subaru's cheeks as she met Teana's gaze. "I wasn't strong enough to stand up for myself last time, and I may not even be strong enough still. But I'm going out there, no matter what. I'm still going to fight. No one else is going to die. Not because of me."

Teana stared at Subaru for a good few seconds before sighing. She rubbed her eyes with your forefinger and thumb. "I'm so going to regret this."

"**I don't think so."**

Subaru jumped at the new voice. "Teana, omai..."

Teana opened her clenched fist, revealing her orange magatama jewel keychain. "A gift from Tiida Nii-san before he died," Teana said with a sad smile. Teana looked at Subaru's pendant again.

"It seems like I'm not the only one looking to make past wrongs, right."

"Tea..."

The redhead pushed herself up from the door frame to stand straighter. "Well come on then," Teana said turning her back on Subaru. "We should-"

"Tea! Wait!" Subaru ran up to her companion and put a hand on Teana's shoulder. "If you had that all along, why didn't you-"

"Use its power?" Teana finished for her.

Subaru nodded.

"Why didn't you?"

Subaru pursed her lips together. "Because I was scared," she admitted. "I was scared I would hurt someone if I couldn't use its power properly."

"Because of what happened to Nanoha-san."

"Hai."

"And now?"

Subaru looked at Teana in confusion.

"Why choose to use it now? What changed?"

The youngest Nakajima dropped her hand from Teana's shoulder. "I realized something."

"That being?"

"Having this power does not make me evil," Subaru said. "It's how I use this power that will decide that." Emerald coloured eyes looked up to meet sapphire coloured ones. "I'm going to use this power to protect people."

Teana smiled, a heart warming smile which made Subaru's heart flutter. "And that's another thing we have in common," the redhead said softly.

"Tea..." More tears fell from Subaru's eyes.

Teana reached up to brush Subaru's tears away before resting her hand on her companion's cheek. "Baka," she said. "Sometimes I honestly don't know what you're thinking."

Subaru looked away in embarrassment

"But you've got a good heart, Subaru," Teana continued. "And I'm glad you're finally starting to follow it."

Subaru looked at Teana again in surprise, before reaching up to hold Teana's hand in her own.

"Shall we go then?" the redhead said with another brilliant smile. "I believe we have a score to settle with a certain blue assassin."

Subaru laughed. "Hai!"

* * *

Hayate shivered suddenly, hugging herself.

"Hayate-sama!" Shamal caught the Empress as she collapsed to her knees. The blonde attendant couldn't but look at the brunette in fear and worry as she trembled in her grasp. Then the hairs on the back of her arms rose, violet coloured eyes widening. Soon a rumbling sound made it to everyone's ears, multiple pillars of blue light shooting up into the sky across all districts. Rein and Agito let out terrified squeaks.

"Kami-sama..." Shamal said in horror.

Everyone, no matter where they were or what they were doing, paused momentarily to witness the scene. A scene of impending chaos. All dormant Spirit Seeds within the capital city had activated.

"This can't be..." Shamal said, her voice fading to a whisper.

* * *

"Kuso!" Chrono cursed. As if they weren't having enough trouble evacuating the citizens from the fighting affected parts of the city, now Spirit Seeds were going nuts and wrecking the place.

"Quickly! This way!" Lindy shouted two streets down from her son, ushering citizens away from the nearest rampaging Spirit Seed.

"Harlaown-san! Look out!"

Lindy turned in the direction of the yell, her eyes catching sight of a crumbling wall coming down upon her.

"Kerykeion!"

"**Protection!"**

Lindy ducked her head behind her arms as the house next to her started to collapse on top of her.

"Strada!"

"**Stahlmesser!"**

_BOOM!_

A rumble shook the area, a hail of dust and grit coating Lindy's hair and clothes in a layer grey. Surprisingly, despite choking on the dust lingering in the air, she was unharmed. Opening her eyes, Lindy realized why. A pink magical barrier enveloped her, and what was once a massive stone wall soon to be crushing her had been blasted into pieces of rubble smaller than her fist.

"Lindy-san!" called two voices and a worried croon.

"Erio-kun? Caro-chan?" The teal haired woman stared at the trio racing up to her in shock. Looking between them and the remnants of the wall behind her, the teal haired woman was at a loss for words. "How...?"

"Let us help you!" Erio said.

"We can help make sure everyone gets to safety," Caro added. Friedrich also made a noise of agreement.

"But-"

A scream sounded two houses ahead of them.

"Fried! Blast Flare!" Caro shouted.

A ball of flame condensed in front of the tiny silver dragon before Friedrich launched the attack like a rocket. The crumbling wall of debris that was about to squash an elderly lady trying to escape her collapsing house exploded into popcorn sized pieces, the City Guards nearby helping the old woman get away from her house before the rest of it came down upon her and them.

"Please Lindy-san," Erio said, bringing the Co-Captain's attention back to him. "We can help."

Lindy wearily eyed the massive spear in the boy's grip, along with the intricately designed gauntlets Caro wore. The shaft of Erio's spear appeared to be made of diamond, the spearhead itself wrapped in amethyst. The bottom edge of the spear shaft was also tipped with amethyst. A fist sized diamond magatama jewel circled lazily in its spot in the spear head.

Caro's gauntlets looked to be made of moonstone, with twin fist sized rose quartz magatama jewels embedded on the back of the palms. Lines of pink quartz also extended from the large magatama jewels, running along the back centre part of the gauntlets' fingers. Both were obviously legendary weapons, as Lindy had never seen any blacksmith create masterpieces like that, the biggest hint being the fist sized magatama jewels. Hopefully the two young ones knew how to use them properly.

"Alright," Lindy said after a few seconds. This was going to be a big risk, but they needed all the help they could get. "Stay close to me and be careful."

"Hai!" both Erio and Caro said.

* * *

Signum gritted her teeth, quickly putting distance between her and the Numbers assassin currently chasing after her. The capital city was consumed in chaos, the activation of all dormant Spirit Seeds causing unparalleled havoc. The Captain of the Samurai was doing her best to assist her samurai, freeing them up from fighting against the Numbers clan so that they could help in sealing the now rampant Spirit Seeds. But that proved to be more challenging than first thought. The Numbers clan were relentless.

"Rumble Detonator."

Signum's eyes widened as exploding knives were thrown in her direction, Levantine chiming in warning.

"Revolver... Shoot!"

A burst of blue magic blasted through the knives before they could reach Signum, successfully exploding the combustible weapons before they hit their target.

"Cross Fire... Shoot!"

Dozens of orange magical orbs zipped towards Cinque, forcing the blue assassin to retreat temporarily. The Numbers assassin managed to evade most of them, her grey magically enhanced vest absorbing most of the damage of the those she couldn't dodge.

Signum's head immediate whipped towards the two newcomers to the fight, her blue eyes focusing on a rooftop two down from the one she currently occupied. Levantine had already tipped her off that they were legendary weapon wielders, and that fact alone made the samurai nervous, more than she currently let on. But then she realized who they were and worry was instantly replaced with surprise.

"Omai..." Signum said, staring at Subaru and Teana in shock.

"Signum-sama!" Teana shouted. "We'll cover them," the redhead said pointing to the small group of samurai tasked with sealing the raging Spirit Seeds. In her hand was an intricately carved ivory bow with lines of rubies wrapped around it. The bow string itself seemed to be made of silver silk, extremely thin yet surprisingly strong. And in the centre of the bow frame itself, was a fist sized topaz coloured magatama jewel.

"You focus on those assassins!"

Signum hesitated.

"Trust us Signum-sama!" Subaru said. "We can do it!"

Signum's eyes locked onto Subaru's right gauntlet, the gauntlet itself made of the blackest onyx the samurai had ever seen. Lines of opal made ran the length of it, creating intricate patterns on the glove. A fist sized sapphire coloured magatama jewel was embedded on the top of the gauntlet just above Subaru's wrist.

"Signum-sama! Please!"

The samurai captain clenched her jaw before nodding. "Alright," she said before turning back to face the Numbers assassins. "Just be careful you two!"

"Hai!"

* * *

"It's alright," the Thunder Reaper said.

The White Devil couldn't but look at the other assassin in horror. "Fate-chan, ile-"

"It's alright," the Thunder Reaper repeated.

"But Fate-chan-"

"I love you, Nanoha."

The White Devil's breath caught in her throat.

"And because I love you, this is alright."

"Fate-"

"Raging Heart. Please," the Thunder Reaper said.

**"Alright," **the legendary staff replied. **"Shooting Mode."**

"What? Ile! Don't do it Raging Heart!" the White Devil exclaimed as her legendary weapon changed forms.

"Save our musume," the Thunder Reaper said, her burgundy coloured eyes filled with warmth and happiness.

"F-Fate-"

"**Divine..."**

"Raging Heart!" The White Devil tried to move the barrel of her weapon away from the Thunder Reaper, but the black assassin held it firmly pointed at her heart, preventing it from pointing at anything but her.

"It's alright," the Thunder Reaper said again, as an orb of pink magic collected at the tip of the white staff. "I love you, Nanoha."

"**... Buster."**

"FATE-CHAN!"

An explosion of pink lit up the area.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Kometfliegen = Flying Comet (German) _

_Panzerhindernis = Armor Barrier/Tank Barrier (German)_

_Sturmfalken = Storm Falcons (German) _

_Stahlmesser = Steel Knife (German) _

_Kaa-san/Okaa-san = Mother_

_Tou-san/Otou-san = Father_

_Nee/Nee-chan = Big Sister_

_Musume = daughter_

_Kami = God_

_Baka = Idiot_

_Omai = You_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	39. Welcome Home

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: Some of you were wondering about the whole Raging Heart listening to Fate thing. Hopefully I can clear things up a bit with this note. Despite being Legendary Weapons of mass power, Raging Heart, along with Bardiche, etc are still sentient. They are 'alive' in some respects and their sole purpose aside from assisting their masters is to protect them. With Nanoha's life being in danger (along with Vivio's), and the condition for them to be safe was to bring Fate to Jail, it shouldn't be a surprise that Raging Heart went ahead to do what Fate asked it to do. Why didn't Bardiche fight back on Fate's behalf? Because Fate asked Raging Heart to shoot her for the sake of Nanoha. If Fate was unwilling to sacrifice herself like that, and Raging Heart shot at her anyways, it would be then that Bardiche would have stepped in to protect his master. Hopefully that clears up that issue for you all. But just a word of warning, don't count out Fate just yet. ;)_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_Love thus story - Thanks for the review. ^^ I just love blowing peoples minds with these chapters. Lol. But seriously speaking, if there's any chapter which should blow your mind, it would be the one below. You'll see what I mean when you read it. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 38: Welcome Home ~ ***

"Mama! MAMA!"

Jail couldn't but laugh as the new key to Al Hazard writhed on the throne it was strapped onto. He had built the device himself, from the rarest of crystals found all over the world. Combining the crystals in a specific pattern, the throne acted like a giant magnifying glass, focusing magical power wherever he wanted. In this case, the throne fed Vivio's latent magic into one of his modified Logia Relicia crystals.

Unlike the Logia Relicia embedded in his Numbers assassins' weapons, this particular gem was equivalent to a hundred regular Logia Relicia compacted in one. Not to mention, it was a pure blood red colour and as big as a bowling ball, instead of the usual small coin-sized orange magatama gem with a white line through it. It would be the very thing he would use to open the doors to Al Hazard when it was fully charged. And that's where they were right now, in the Garden of Time near the doors to Al Hazard. His Numbers assassins had retaken the place earlier from the guards set up by the Empress to watch over it.

"My Lord."

"Oh?" At Uno's warning, Jail turned around to look at the demolished entrance way leading into the Garden of Time. Just as he did, Lutecia walked into the inner chamber with the White Devil in tow. Draped over the white assassin's shoulder was the limp body of the Thunder Reaper.

"You actually did it?" Jail was laughing. When he told the White Devil to bring Fate to him, he didn't actually think the girl would do it. In fact, he was waiting for her to storm back in here, attempting a suicidal run, to save the blonde brat strapped to the throne. And when his Numbers killed her, he would use the White Devil's body as a base to make a new key.

Tears flowed down the White Devil's face, the white assassin ignoring Jail's hysterics. Almost drunkenly, she stumbled forward, her shoulders sagging under the extra weight, both physical and not. The White Devil brushed off the looks the Numbers assassins gave her, the ones acting as body guards to the alchemist, as she continued walking across the room. Upon reaching the other end of the chamber, where the special Logia Relicia jewel was being charged by Vivio's magic, the white assassin gently laid down the Thunder Reaper's body on the floor.

"Is she-"

"Dead," the White Devil choked out, squeezing her eyes shut as more tears fell.

"How merciful of you," Jail said with a smirk. Glancing at Uno nearby, the alchemist nodded his head. The White Devil quickly found herself disarmed, and pinned to the floor on her stomach.

"You never... were going to... let me go..." the White Devil wheezed out.

Nove pressed her foot down on the back of the White Devil, to keep her for going anywhere. She held Raging Heart in her hand. Sette's boomerang blade was also pointed at the downed assassin's throat, while Sein and Uno stood nearby, watching.

Jail laughed. "Why would I ever let you go?" the alchemist said. "Along with those two specimens over there," he said referring to Vivio and the Thunder Reaper, "you would be perfect for my experiments."

Lutecia made a fist. "But Doctor," she said quietly. "She did what you asked."

"My sweet, sweet Lutecia," Jail said, turning to the small assassin with a smile. "You're truly a kind killer. You probably don't understand my reasons behind this, and that's fine. Just wait there silently while I finish up here, okay?"

Lutecia gritted her teeth as Jail turned back to look at the White Devil again.

"Now where were we? Ah yes, you." The violet haired man grinned. "I'm no longer in need of your services," he said. "Just your body."

Walking towards the White Devil, Jail pulled out a knife from his coat pocket. "I hope you've made peace with whatever gods you pray to, because you're about to meet them in person." Jail grinned sadistically.

A blur of black. "Not while I'm still breathing!" And a flash of gold. "Bardiche!"

"**Photon Lancer!"**

Orbs of condensed lightning materialized in the air around the now standing Thunder Reaper, immediately shooting off in different directions. The knife in Jail's hand was immediately blasted away, both Nove and Sette dodging to the side to avoid the orbs homing in on their position. In her haste to dodge, Nove dropped Raging Heart. Uno, Sein and Wendi also went scrambling as yellow magical spheres targeted them as well.

Jail hissed in pain, clutching at his bloodied and burned hand. "But you were supposed to be dead!" he growled, fury burning in amber coloured eyes. "You were dead!"

"News of my death have been greatly exaggerated," the Thunder Reaper said.

* * *

_~ Half an hour ago ~_

"F-Fate-"

"**Divine..."**

"Raging Heart!" The White Devil struggled to move her weapon away from the Thunder Reaper, but the black assassin's grip was firm and unmoving.

"It's alright," the Thunder Reaper said again, as the magical attack neared its firing point. "I love you, Nanoha."

Then time ran out.

**"Buster."**

"FATE-CHAN!"

The hairs on the back of Quattro's neck raised, making the Numbers assassin turn around. Her eyes went wide as all she saw was pink. Quattro's scream was quickly devoured by the White Devil's blast of magic, all of the illusions she had been maintaining until then disappearing a split second later.

"Wha-what...?" A hand went to Otto's head, the Numbers assassin looking around in a daze. "How did I get here? What's going on?"

Many other Numbers assassins showed similar signs of confusion, leaving both Vita and Signum, and the Samurai and City Guards fighting them, surprised at the sudden lack of fighting will. Nevertheless, the Samurai and City Guards were quick to close in on the disoriented blue assassins and restrained them before they caused further havoc.

Due gritted her teeth, scanning her surroundings as most of the fighting stopped abruptly. The Samurai and City Guards wasted no time in subduing the others, but Due would not go down without a fight. "Damn you White Devil!"

Dodging the binding seal of the nearest samurai, Due darted towards the nearest rooftop searching for her quarry. It didn't take the Numbers assassin long to find her prey as there was only one assassin wearing white in the immediate vicinity. Her clawed hand twitched in anticipation, the metal weapon screaming for blood. Due could still remember the first time she skewered the white assassin through the back. It had been glorious. But now, now it would just be vengeance. With a mighty leap, Due charged at the White Devil, the white assassin's back currently facing her.

"Purple Lightning Flash!"

Due's breath was knocked from her lungs, pain exploding from within as a fiery blade skewered her through the stomach. Green eyes widened in shock, crimson dripping from her lips as she looked up to meet the furious blue eyes. Pink hair swished in the air behind the Captain of the Samurai.

"You will not lay a hand on her!" Signum hissed, wrenching Levantine free.

Due dropped to the ground head first, falling in to darkness.

"Nanoha."

"Baka!" The White Devil clutched at the Thunder Reaper tightly, her face buried in the black assassin's shoulder as she shuddered. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Burgundy coloured eyes were wide with surprise, the Thunder Reaper soon after smiling as she wrapped her arms around the White Devil's shoulders. At the very last second before the Divine Buster attack fired, somehow the white assassin managed to wrench her weapon free from the Thunder Reaper's tight grasp, yanking it to the side just in time for the attack to blast wide. Unfortunately for Quattro, it hit the Numbers assassin dead on, taking the assassin out and stopping the mind control she had over most of the other Numbers assassins in the area.

"Nanoha-"

Lips met lips in a passionate kiss, the White Devil literally stealing the breath from the Thunder Reaper. Moments later, the two assassins broke apart, breathless.

"I love you Fate-chan! I love you!" The White Devil exclaimed, looking up at the stunned Thunder Reaper. "I could never kill you! I'd kill myself first!"

The white assassin's voice quickly dropped to a whisper. "I can't live with you Fate. I can't." White knuckled fists clenched at black garb. "So please... please, don't make me."

The Thunder Reaper leaned down and pressed her forehead against that of the White Devil. "Alright," she said with a soft smile. "Let's figure out another way then."

* * *

_~ Back to the present. ~_

Jail laughed. "You're more clever than I gave you credit for." The alchemist staggered backwards towards his make shift desk nearby, his uninjured hand reaching for the small black box on the top of it. "Clever as you may be, you're already too late!"

Jail pitched the black box at the doors to Al Hazard, the spinning motion of the throw forcing the box open. Mid air, a similar pure red Logia Relicia crystal fell out of the box, slamming into the doors to Al Hazard with a crunch. A high pitched scream sounded instantly after that, all eyes turning to Vivio as the child screamed like she had never before. The first blood red Logia Relicia crystal next to the Thunder Reaper lit up like a beacon, all of the magical power forced into it previously now shooting towards the second one stuck to the doors to Al Hazard in a beam of red energy. But it didn't stop there. The red Logia Relicia continued to draw magical power for Vivio, at a faster and dangerous rate as the opening of the doors demanded it.

"MAMA!"

"Vivio!" both the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper exclaimed.

Jail was in hysterics, the massive double doors to the mythical land creaking and groaning, the seal on them finally breaking. Ever so slowly, they began to open, an unparalleled influx of magical potency rushing into the chamber.

"Glorious! Glorious!" Jail said over and over again, watching in delight as the power of Al Hazard started to leak through.

Vivio screamed again, the crystal throne sucking more and more magic out of her to accommodate the opening of the doors. No regular person could withstand such abuse and live. The White Devil was at the small blonde's side, scrambling to tear the restraints off of the child but they would not budge.

"Vivio!"

The Thunder Reaper turned back to Jail, knowing full well the man wouldn't help her. So instead, she turned her gaze to the red Logia Relicia crystal at the source of it all. "Nanoha!" she shouted over Vivio's screams. "Destroy the throne! It's the only way!"

"What?" Jail squawked. "No!"

The Numbers assassins charged at the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper to intercept them, but soon found themselves occupied with an army of bugs which blocked their path.

"L-Lutecia!" Jail exclaimed in shock. "What is the meaning of this!"

Garyu sent Nove flying backwards with a roundhouse kick, the Numbers assassin careening into Sette who was just behind her with a follow up counter. Sein and Uno dodged walls of small insects, keeping out of range of their stinging attacks.

Lutecia levelled her gaze at the alchemist. "I was wrong about you, Doctor," the small assassin said. "You never were going to help me find Okaa-san, were you?"

Thankful for the interference, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper wasted no time in calling forth their magical attacks.

"Plasma..."

"Vivio," the White Devil said.

"**Divine..."**

"This is going to hurt a bit. But please bear with it."

"Smasher!"

"**Buster!"**

* * *

"What...!"

Signum stared in horror as an enormous explosion of magic erupted from Mount Fiji, the geological landmark being situated at the southern most edge of the Lower District. A district sized black pillar of magic rocketed into the sky from the mountain, making the samurai's skin crawl. She and Vita had just finished securing the last remaining Numbers assassins with the help of the City Guards, while Signum's Samurai sealed the last of the rampaging Spirit Seeds. With that settled, the duo turned towards the Garden of Time, just about to dash off to back up The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper who had gone ahead.

"Watch out!"

Signum's head jerked up in time to see a bolt of black magic lash out at her. Despite the enormous distance separating her and the black pillar of magic in the Lower District, it took mere seconds for the bolt to close the distance between them.

"Brennenkugel!"

The Captain of the Samurai shielded her face with her arm as multiple fireballs shot past her from behind, intercepting the blast of black. The resulting explosion knocked Signum back a few feet, but she remained upright on the rooftop she occupied.

"Master!" Agito exclaimed, flying up to the samurai. "You alright?"

"Agito-san?" Signum said in surprise. "I thought I told you to stay with Shamal-san."

"Klarer Wind! Protect against it!"

**"Yes!"**

Multiple green barriers appeared over all districts, blocking dark magic attacks which would have destroyed houses and hurt citizens. No matter how strong the blasts were, the barriers would not break.

"Shamal-san!" Signum exclaimed in surprise. The green robed attendant stood on a nearby rooftop.

Agito half chuckled, half grinned. "I didn't disobey you Master," the fire sprite said. "I simply followed Shamal-sama here, along with-"

"H-H-Hayate-sama?"

The Empress hovered in mid air off to Shamal's right, black wings shooting out from her back with her trusted Tome of the Night Sky hovering just above her left hand. In her right hand was Schwertkreuz, the Staff of Sword Cross. Rein floated nearby, the tiny sprite glowing white and infusing the Empress with her magic.

Unlike her predecessors, Hayate did not inherit the Book of Darkness from the emperors before her. Instead, her abilities called forth a newer, more powerful tome called the Tome of the Night Sky. Said to be the sister tome to the Book of Darkness, as well as its complete opposite from a magic potency standpoint, Hayate's guardians, her chosen knights, were not creations through her magical tome. Instead, there were instead living, breathing people and creatures who willingly chose to protect her, people and creatures who chose to fight for what Hayate believed was right. And those who answered the Empress' call were Signum, Shamal, Vita, Zafira and Rein.

Raising her staff to the sky, Hayate closed her eyes and started to chant. "Come forth, the wind of snow, and become the fletching which falls from the heavens."

A large circle of white runes appeared before the brunette, four smaller rune circles materializing at the corners of the larger one. Blue eyes snapped open, Hayate pointing her staff at the flares of black magic lashing out from the district sized column of black magic.

"Hræsvelgr!"

Blasts of white magic shot out from the rune circles, exploding on contact with the black magic. White cancelled black, only for more bolts of black magic to erupt outwards at the capital city and its occupants.

"They must not have gotten there in time!" Yunno shouted over all the noise, he too standing on a rooftop nearby. "If we don't close the gateway soon, it will be a repeat of the Garden of Time Incident all over again, but much, much worse!"

"How are we supposed to close it if we can't even get close enough to it!" Signum shouted, darting to the side to avoid another stray bolt of dark magic.

"Brennenkugel!" Agito shouted again, shooting off another batch of fireballs, intercepting those stray blasts of magic which missed both Hayate's neutralizing attacks as well as Shamal's barriers.

"The only way is to forcefully stop the ceremony by destroying the doors leading to Al Hazard," Yunno yelled back. "But not only does that take immense magical power, the one who does it would be killed in the blast!"

"How big of a blast are we talking about here?" Hayate shouted, panting, as she fired off another magical attack.

Yunno grimaced, pushing up his glasses higher on his nose. "An entire district, at least," he said.

Blue eyes widened. "But Nanoha and Fate are still there!" Vita turned back to look at column of black magic engulfing Mount Fiji.

* * *

Fate was floating.

She didn't know where she was or how she got here, but she was floating. An unusual calmness held her, despite her senses registering nothing at all. No light. No sound. No touch. Just calm. And the feeling of warmth.

"_Fate."_

Burgundy coloured eyes opened. "Who...?"

A giggle. _"Silly Imouto."_

"Imouto?"

"_I'm proud of you my Musume."_

"Musume?"

"_Thank you, Fate-chan."_

"_See you later Imouto."_

Fate closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Fate-chan! Fate-chan! Open your eyes! Fate!"

Someone was shaking her. The blonde groaned, wine coloured eyes opening groggily before looking around. She was on the ground. And flat on her back.

"Fate-mama!" came a relieved cry.

"Vivio...?"

"Uhn!" the little girl replied, clutching at Fate's right hand.

"Fate-chan!"

Fate soon found herself in the tight hug of the youngest Takamachi. "Fate-chan! Fate-chan!" Nanoha repeated over and over again.

Fate smiled, wrapping her arms around the brunette's shaking shoulders. "I'm here Nanoha," she said softly. "I'm here."

"Ugh..." came a groan to Fate's left.

Nove pushed herself up to her hands and knees, one hand holding her head. The redheaded Numbers assassin looked around in a daze. "Where am I?"

Sein also shared Nove's confusion, the other Numbers assassin looking around blankly.

The crystal throne and blood red Logia Relicia crystals were destroyed, now nothing but shattered pieces of glass scattered all over the room. But while the ceremony to open the doors to Al Hazard was interrupted and stopped, things were far from over.

A cackling laugh.

Burgundy coloured eyes glared at the alchemist on the other side of the room.

"You think you've won?"

An unconscious Uno lay limply over Jail's body, the Numbers assassin having shielded her lord with her body when the explosion which destroyed the crystal throne and Logia Relicia crystals happened. Sette was not too far away from the pair, having done the same, though her protection came through her magically enhanced swords. The resulting clash of magic however, destroyed the Logia Relicia which enchanted her blades, turning them into burnt strips of metal.

"You fools!" Jail exclaimed, laughing again. "You're already too late! The doors to Al Hazard have already started to open! And soon, this world will be no more!"

As Jail spoke those words, the doors to Al Hazard groaned and screeched in protest again, the magic leaking in from the other side forcing the gateway more and more open the longer it remained ajar. Fate gritted her teeth as flashes of memories came back to her from the incident over ten years ago.

A blood red sky.

People screaming and dying.

Crumbled and burnt buildings.

She couldn't let that happen again!

"Is there no way to stop it?" Fate said out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"**There is a way," **Bardiche chimed.

"**It must be destroyed,"** Raging Heart completed for the other legendary weapon.

Jail laughed more. "Destroy it? In your state? You couldn't even kill a fly."

"I can," came a shaky voice. Violet coloured eyes levelled with the laughing alchemist. "If it means stopping another Garden of Time Incident, I can." Nanoha pulled back from Fate, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"There's no way you can do it," Jail taunted. "Even if you could, you'd be killed in the explosion which followed."

"If that's what I must do, so be it." Nanoha rose unsteadily to her feet, grabbing Raging Heart from the ground as she did so. Fate followed her up, also rising to her feet and taking Bardiche from Vivio when the little girl held the weapon up to her.

"Nanoha-"

"Take Vivio and get as far away from this place as you can, Fate-chan," Nanoha said. She turned towards the partially ajar doors to Al Hazard. A deep, aching throb pulsed within her chest, one which grew more intense with each magical attack she spurned out. But the brunette ignored it. It probably wouldn't matter in the next few minutes anyhow.

"What?" Fate exclaimed in disbelief. "Ile! I'm not leaving you here all by yourself!"

"And Vivio is not leaving Nanoha-mama either!" the little blonde said, putting on a strong face.

Nanoha turned back to look at the pair. "You two are leaving and that's final. Don't argue with me," she said.

"And what about you Nanoha?"

"As long as you two are safe, it's alright." The brunette smiled sadly, looking at the floor. "As long as nothing happens to you two, it doesn't matter what happens to me."

Fate gritted her teeth before grabbing Nanoha by the arm. She whirled the white assassin around to face her. "Are you kidding me?" Fate shouted, her voice filled with anger.

Violet coloured eyes widened in surprise.

"You think sacrificing yourself here will make things all better?"

"Fate-"

"I love you Nanoha!" Without warning, Fate pressed her lips against Nanoha's, in a hungry, breath taking kiss. "I love you..." the blonde said in a quieter voice after pulling away to catch her breath.

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha said just as breathlessly, her eyes slightly glazed.

"So please," Fate continued. "Please don't leave me and tell me it's okay."

"Alright..." Nanoha said in a whisper. The brunette swallowed, her mind still a bit fuzzy. Vivio giggled somewhere in the background. "Alright," Nanoha repeated. "So you're not leaving."

"And Vivio is not leaving either!"

Both Fate and Nanoha chuckled.

"Ile, you're not," Fate said, patting the child on the head.

"Oh how touching," Jail said with the roll of his eyes. "Where are my tissues?"

Nanoha and Fate glared at the alchemist.

"Ano..." Sein said, hesitantly interrupting the conversation. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

Fate and Nanoha looked at each other before looking back at Sein again.

"I'll get them to safety," Lutecia said, emerging from the shadows and walking up to the assassin pair.

Fate instinctively placed herself between Nanoha and Vivio, and Lutecia, Bardiche raised and pointed at the small black assassin. She was still distrustful of the other black assassin, in spite of the girl's help a few minutes ago. Contrary to Fate's actions, Nanoha just smiled.

"Thank you Lutecia-chan," she said, tugging on Fate's arm. The blonde got the message and lowered her weapon.

"It would have been nice to meet you under different circumstances."

"Hai," Lutecia reluctantly agreed.

* * *

With the rest of the occupants, that being Jail and his lackies, now evacuated from the inner chamber, Fate, Nanoha and Vivio turned back to face the slowly opening doors to Al Hazard. The whole inner chamber was starting to shake now, the strain on the partly opened doors becoming more and more evident. The inner chamber wouldn't last for much longer.

"Raging Heart!"

"**Alright!"**

"Bardiche!"

"**Yes Sir!"**

"Ne Fate-chan," Nanoha said. A large pink rune circle materialized in front of the brunette, wings of pink magic extending from the white staff she held. "Do you remember when we finally saw each other again, after the Garden of Time Incident?"

Stray magic from all around the room began collecting into an orb of pink, the magical globe steadily growing in size between Nanoha and the runed circle. The brunette panted slightly, the ache in her chest growing exponentially worse the more magic she gathered in front of her.

* * *

"_But because of the ceremony to create the new key, your Linker Core has been injured and is unstable right now," Shamal said. "That's one thing my healing magics could not fix. If you tried to use any heavy magical ability now, the strain of it will most likely kill you."_

* * *

"Hai," Fate said, a ball of lightning condensing in the palm of her free hand. She too experienced the wrenching pain in her chest, as she prepared one of her most devastating attacks. Yet even so, Fate still gave Nanoha a strained smile. Sweat rolled down her cheek. "I remember."

A yellow runed circle materialized in front of the blonde, a ring of yellow also materializing like a bracelet around her casting hand. "It was one of the happiest days of my life," Fate said.

_A gentle wind blew by, rustling the locks of a young girl with brown hair. Today, she waited on the main bridge connecting the Middle District to the Upper District. Today, she would finally get to see her friend again._

"**Count IX... VIII... VII..." **

"I got there early because I was so excited," Nanoha recounted, a wide smile stretched across her face as she thought back to that fateful day. Vivio listened quietly, the small child gripping at both Fate and Nanoha's shirts, standing in between them, watching.

Fate chuckled. "And I was running late, because I got lost. I still didn't know my way around the districts too well yet, back then."

_A small blonde child huffed and puffed, red faced from all the running she had done up until now. Lindy had let her go back to the Middle District on her own as the teal haired woman had a few more things to sort out in the Imperial Palace relating to her adoption. Turning her head left and right, burgundy coloured eyes darted all over the place trying to figure out where she was. All the roads looked the same to the small blonde, and it didn't help that people were all over the place making it harder to see over them._

"**VI... V... IV..." **

Nanoha pulled back Raging Heart, the legendary weapon pointing backwards over her shoulder. Her shoulders began to hunch forward as breathing steadily became difficult. "Silly Fate-chan," the staff wielder said with a breathless chuckle. "You still get lost, even today."

Fate gritted her teeth, the strain on her body also becoming increasingly challenging to deal with. Even so, she lowered her stance as the lightning orb in her hand doubled in size, and forced a pout. "I do not!" she retorted indignantly.

The brunette giggled. "Fate-chan, Fate-chan," Nanoha said. "You're so cute."

_The small child bit her lip, tightening her grasp on the bridge railing. She stared down at the waters below, but that did nothing to calm her racing heart. What would she say when she finally saw her again? What should she do when they finally were within arms reach?_

"**III... II... I..."**

"But that's what I love about you," Nanoha whispered, tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, Nanoha." Water rolled down Fate's cheeks.

"**Count 0."**

Raging Heart whipped forward, striking the collected orb of compressed magic, releasing it in a powerful explosive beam of energy.

At the same time, Fate threw forward her casting hand, the orb of lightning smashing against the runed circle of magic floating in front of her, releasing a tri-attack of yellow magic.

"Starlight... BREAKER!"

"Trident... SMASHER!"

Yellow and pink magic swirled together, combining into a huge blast of white. The immense magical attack soon after smashed into the doors of Al Hazard with a bang, the mystical doors immediately buckling and crumbling under the assault. The resulting shockwave and explosion engulfed the immediate area a split second later, and everything faded out to white.

* * *

"Hurry! This way!" Chrono shouted, directing the last citizens away from the crumbling Lower District. Things had suddenly taken a turn for the worst when Mount Fiji lit up with that unholy magic, black arcs of corrupted power vaporizing anything it touched. Shields of green appeared throughout the district, trying to defend against the stray magic, but it still wasn't enough. Chrono didn't know who the shield summoner was, but he was thankful for their assistance. Without them, they wouldn't have been able to evacuate the people.

A crack of power.

"Kami!" Chrono stumbled to the side, just narrowly dodging a stray bolt of black magic. The blast ended up striking the house behind him instead, disintegrating half the house upon impact.

"**Stinger Snipe!"**

An arc of blue tore through the air, crashing into two more bolts of black magic which shot out in Chrono's direction. The Captain of the City Guards gritted his teeth, leaping backwards to put more distance between him and the growing pillar of blackness expanding outwards from Mount Fiji. Chrono had willingly stayed behind, defending his men as they evacuated the citizens, and escaped the immediate area themselves. Having unique abilities, not unlike his step sister, made him the best person to hold the line while everyone else scrambled back to safety. The only problem was, that left him without back up when the time came from him to retreat.

"Snip Shot!"

Twirling S2U in his hands, blue magic shot out from the legendary obsidian staff again, nullifying the next few blasts of dark magic lashing out at the City Guards' Captain. But Chrono's efforts were in vain, as for every blast of black power he nullified, two more blasts would take its place. Chrono quickly found himself overwhelmed, dark magic raining down upon him like hail.

A pained cry.

Chrono just barely ducked behind an abandoned house in time, clutching at his arm, as multiple streaks of stray magic ripped through the area. A moment ago, a bolt of tainted magic had grazed his arm. While the touch had been nothing more than a caress of wind, it was enough to incinerate the armor on his arm and burn him. His left arm now hung limply at his side, crimson running the length of it. Sweat rolled down the sides of Chrono's face, the Captain of the City Guards breathing heavily. If he didn't figure out a way to escape this madness soon, he wasn't going to make it.

"Taichou-san! Hang on! I'm coming!"

Chrono's head snapped to the side at the sound of the shout. Twenty feet away, he caught sight of one of his City Guards dodging dark magic, trying to reach him. While Chrono was momentarily shielded by the house he took refuge behind, it wouldn't be long before the house disintegrated under the rain of black energy completely, taking Chrono with it.

"Ile! Stay back!" Chrono screamed in warning, watching as the City Guard stumbled over uneven ground. But his yell came too late and a split second later, a beam of darkness struck his second-in-command, and the man was no more.

"YAMATO!" Blue eyes were wide with horror.

"Chrono-san!"

A blur of orange streaked in from the side, long fur tickling Chrono's nose as a familiar demon fox skidded to a halt in front of him.

"A-Arf-san?" the City Guards' Captain said in shock.

The demon fox grinned teethily, a triangular seal of magic already spinning under their feet. "Fate would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you."

Before Chrono could say anything, he heard the remnants of the house at his back groan and creak behind him. His gaze went upwards as the last standing wall snapped in half and crashed down upon their heads. But he would not perish there. A flash of light blinded the Captain a moment later, and then Chrono found himself on a rooftop in the Middle District.

"W-what?" Chrono said in disorientation.

"Stay here," Arf said, turning to face the pillar of blackness. She took one step forward.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Fate and Nanoha-"

The demon fox's words were cut off by a loud, reverberating boom, one of which caused the entire capital city to quake under everyone's feet. Stumbling and staggering to remain upright, both Arf and Chrono watched wide-eyed as the unholy magic enveloping Mount Fiji wavered before it imploded and dissipated, making the mountain collapse in on itself. A geyser of dust and grit shot up into the sky, enveloping the entire Lower District and part of the Middle District in a wall of brown and grey.

"Ile..." Arf said in disbelief, the demon fox suddenly feeling numb. "Nanoha and Fate... they were... they were still..." she said, her voice trailing off.

"W-What...?" All of the colour drained out of Chrono's face, once he realized what Arf was saying.

"Ile..." Tears pooled in the corners of Arf's eyes, the demon fox trembling where she stood. "Nanoha..." she said in a choked murmur. Then she screamed. "... FAAAAAATE!"

* * *

_~ Japan. Ten years ago. Months after the Garden of Time Incident. ~_

"Nanoha!"

The said brunette turned her head at the sound of her name, violet coloured eyes immediately widening with glee as they focused on a running blonde racing towards them.

"Fate-chan!" a ten year old Nanoha exclaimed, waving as she ran towards her friend.

Just as both girls were within arms reach of each other, Nanoha tripped on a loose stone and tumbled forward. Fate easily caught the brunette in her arms, ensuring her friend didn't face plant on the ground, hurting herself.

"Mou!" Fate exclaimed. "You have to be more careful, Nanoha!"

Nanoha blushed. "Nyahaha, I'm alright!" the peppy brunette said. "I knew you'd be there to catch me, Fate-chan."

It was Fate's turn to blush, Nanoha smiling widely at the nice rosy colour filling the blonde's cheeks. Kami-sama, she missed this. Nanoha soon straightened up, pulling Fate into a proper hug, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"Nanoha?"

"Welcome home, Fate-chan," Nanoha said.

Fate smiled. "It's good to be home."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Phew! I have to say, this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for this piece. Hehe. And now, before all of you mob me, this is not the last chapter. :P There's an epilogue which follows after this one. So stay tuned!_

_In case you're wondering, Hayate's chants came directly from the MGLN wikia datebase when looking up those specific attacks._

_Also, I have no idea which of Fate's attacks are the most powerful, so I just picked her Trident Smasher move to match Nanoha's Starlight Breaker attack._

_On a final note, for those of you who aren't familiar, Chrono's main weapon is the S2U. He doesn't receive the Durandal until the StrikerS season, and that only shows up them. Like Caro, Erio, Subaru and Teana, Chrono is always a legendary weapon's wielder. And for those of you wondering how Arf saved Chrono, it was through a Dimensional Transfer teleportation spell._

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Ile = No_

_Baka = Idiot_

_Imouto = Younger Sister_

_Musume = Daughter_

_Okaa-san/Kaa-san = Mother_

_Brennenkugel = Burning Ball (German) _

_Schwertkreuz = Sword(-shaped) Cross (German)_

_Hræsvelgr = __Corpse Swallower (from Norse Mythology)_

_Ano = Umm_

_Kami = God_

_Taichou = Captain_

_Ne = A word, when used in certain contexts, gets the attention of someone._

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


	40. Epilogue

**Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic**

_**A/N**__: And we finally come to the end of this story. It's been a lot of fun writing this and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it. :) Due to real life circumstances, I've decided to post this final chapter up a few hours early rather than a few hours late. I'm sure no one will object to that. And if you do, my apologies. :P_

_For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_love thus story - Thanks for the review and the support of this story. It really means a lot when readers stick with a story, especially one as long as this one. I will be writing another MGLN story and probably more than one, but for now, just see my Author's Notes at the end of this. In the future, keep an eye on my profile page. I'll be updating my progress on future stories and current stories there. Thanks for the reading my story! :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

*** ~ Chapter 39: Epilogue ~ ***

_~ Japan. One year later. ~_

It was a quiet, calm walk through the local cemetery. Having sustained major damage a year ago, in what would later be dubbed as the JS Incident, one wouldn't have known it if they weren't here when the catastrophe struck. The capital city of Japan had since then recovered from that incident, most of the damage repaired at this point. For those sections of the city not yet complete, the rebuilding was almost done. Yet none could forget the death toll which came with the horrible tragedy, just like the Garden of Time Incident ten years before.

"Why are we doing this again?"

Tsukimura Suzuka looked at her best friend and smiled. "I think you know why we're here, Arisa-chan." Suzuka's gaze wandered down to the bundle of flowers in her hand. Arisa carried a bundle too.

Arisa Bannings scowled, staring straight ahead. The two tombstones they were coming to visit were within sight. "But this is all a lie, isn't it?" the blonde replied gruffly. "No bodies were even found! They could still be alive somewhe-"

A hand on her shoulder made Arisa bite her lip, stifling back another outburst. Suzuka squeezed Arisa's shoulder gently before both of them turned and stopped in front of the two they came to visit. Resting down the bundles of flowers before the tombstones, Suzuka knelt down in front of the one before her, bowing her head. Arisa remained standing, looking sorrowfully at the tombstone in front of her.

"Hi Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan," Suzuka said with a tearful smile. She dusted off the tombstones with her hand. "It's been a while."

* * *

"Miyuki," said a soft voice.

The said person moaned softly before burying her head deeper into her pillow.

A sigh. "Imouto," Takamachi Kyouya said with a chuckle. "If you don't wake up soon, the wonderful pastries our guardian angel left us in the oven this morning will burn."

"What!" Takamachi Miyuki bolted upwards from her futon and immediately raced downstairs to the kitchen.

Kyouya could only laugh at that. A year had passed since the horrible turn of events which nearly left the entire Takamachi family dead. Thankfully, the disaster was averted and things had returned to normal for the most part. For him and Miyuki, that is. Both of them had since recovered from their grave injuries, Kyouya even recovering his sight. The Takamachi Dojo was rebuilt better than ever and the Midori-ya Cafe was still going strong.

"Uwah!" Miyuki exclaimed the moment Kyouya made his way downstairs. "So much!" the brunette said in childish awe.

On all counter top surfaces were trays of freshly baked pastries, Miyuki having just pulled the most recent one out of the oven. Since the repair of the Midori-ya after the JS Incident, and the loss of their smallest sister, it had become quite routine for the Takamachi siblings to wake up in the mornings to find a kitchen full of freshly baked treats. While known to most how horrible of a pastry chef Miyuki was, with the help of these pastries and Kyouya's new girlfriend and new Midori-ya cook Tsukimura Shinobu, the Midori-ya Cafe maintained its reputation as one of the best eateries in the Middle District for both desserts and otherwise.

"They really out did themselves today," Kyouya said with a whistle. He picked up a steaming cinnamon bun from the closest tray only for it to be snatched out of his hand by Miyuki.

"That's for the customers Nii-san," Miyuki said shaking her head.

"Oh come on Miyuki," the eldest Takamachi whined. "I'm sure no one will miss one or two of them."

"You know the rules Kyouya," Miyuki stated, hands on her hips. "If you don't like them, learn to bake these yourself."

Kyouya hummed in thought, stroking his chin. A smile. "You think our guardian angel would teach me?"

* * *

"Subaru. Subaru!"

A groan. "Five more minutes..."

Teana Lanster sighed. She stood beside the bed she and Nakajima Subaru shared, with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Subaru!" the redhead repeated. "If you don't get up soon, we're going to be late for work! You know how the Midori-ya is first thing in the morning."

"Just five more minutes..." Subaru repeated, obviously not hearing a word her partner said.

Teana face palmed. "I don't know why I put up with this every morning."

With another sigh, the redhead climbed onto the bed and crawled up to her friend. "Subaru," she said again, shaking the blue haired girl by the shoulder. "It's time to get up-S-S-Subaru!"

In under ten seconds, Teana found herself flat on her back in bed, with Subaru cuddled up flush against her. The blue haired teen had her head on Teana's shoulder, nuzzling against her neck while one arm draped across Teana's stomach, hugging her closely. Even Subaru's legs were intertwined with the redhead's. Teana stared at the ceiling, her face beet red.

"Tea..." Subaru murmured, snuggling closer to her partner.

Blue eyes darted back and forth between Subaru's smiling face and the girl's hand on her stomach. Teana swallowed nervously, her cheeks burning from the compromising position she was currently in.

"Love you... Tea..." came another soft murmur.

Teana's expression softened, a smile forming on her lips. "You're such a child," she said quietly. Reaching over, she pushed some stray locks of hair out of of Subaru's face. "I suppose I could give you give more minutes," she whispered.

Then Subaru's hand wandered upwards and grabbed at her breast.

_SMACK!_

"Gah! Tea! What was that for!" a now fully awake Subaru exclaimed, tears in her eyes. She held her head, where a fresh bump throbbed.

"B-b-b-baka!" Teana shouted, already off the bed and standing with her back to her partner. She hugged herself. "What the hell were you dreaming about!"

* * *

Harlaown Lindy sat in her kitchen, drinking tea.

"Good morning, Kaa-san," Harlaown Chrono said, walking into the kitchen. He leaned in to kiss his mother on the forehead before nabbing some toast off the table and downing a gulp of tea.

"Just popping in before work I see," Lindy said, her lips curling in amusement.

This was a daily ritual for the former Co-Captain of the City Guards.

"Hai," Chrono said, in between bites.

"You'd swear Amy-san never feeds you or something," Lindy commented.

Since the JS Incident, it wasn't unusual for Chrono to pop by in the mornings on his way to work. As the main Harlaown's residence was on his way to work, Chrono saw no harm in checking in on his mother and the City Guards' Co-Captain.

"You know it's not like that," Chrono said with a grin. Licking his lips, he quickly finished the last of his tea and set the mug down in the sink.

"I wonder what it could ever be." Lindy gave her son a lopsided grin. "Could it be my cooking perhaps?"

The City Guards' Captain laughed. "It could very well be that," he said. Chrono quickly straightened out his uniform to make himself more presentable. "Amy and the kids are looking forward to trying out your secret recipe tonight."

"Oh?" Lindy feigned surprise. "Is that so? And what of my musuko?"

Chrono gave his mother a hug. "Why, I'll be the first one to taste your new dish," he said with a smile.

"Such a good shounen," Lindy said with a laugh. She patted Chrono on the cheek. "Now off to work you go."

"Hai!"

After watching Chrono leave, Lindy's attention went back to her half full mug of tea. She took a sip. Over the past year, she'd gotten Caro into the habit of drinking it, though Erio didn't seem to care much for the liquid drink.

A sigh.

This was always a moment of the day she would share with Fate, prior to the events last year. The teal haired woman really missed the blonde, Lindy still remembering the day when she first got news of Fate's-

Lindy closed her eyes, setting down her mug on the table.

"Good morning, Lindy-san," came a soft voice.

Lindy smiled before turning to look at the doorway to the kitchen. "Good morning Caro-chan, Friedrich-kun. Did you both sleep well?"

"Hai," Caro responded with a smile. Friedrich crooned happily.

"I'm glad to hear that," the teal haired woman said.

"Was that Chrono-san I saw leaving just now?" Caro inquired. She sat down at the table next to Lindy.

"It was," Lindy said. "He-"

"Lindy-san!" Erio exclaimed, racing into the kitchen full of excitement.

"Good morning Erio-kun." Lindy chuckled. The redhead was always so energetic in the mornings, especially when a certain someone dropped by to visit.

"Erio-kun!" Caro scolded her friend for his lack of manners.

"Ah! Good morning!" Erio quickly added before looking behind him. "You have a package!"

Both Lindy's and Caro's gazes strayed to the tiny one padding into the kitchen after Erio, their tongue wagging. On the furry one's back was a package secured to her collar. Another smile graced the teal haired woman's face as an orange puppy demon fox walked up to her. "Good morning Arf-chan."

* * *

The Empress sighed. She currently sat at her desk in her main chambers, staring at the stack of papers she had to read through for today. While this was nothing out of the ordinary for the brunette, there were times, like this, where she wished she could be doing something else aside from boring paperwork. While the amount of Spirit Seed incidents had dropped dramatically since the JS Incident, every now and a then, a Spirit Seed would show up, causing havoc for the districts.

"You look like you could use this, Hayate-sama." Shamal placed a hot mug of tea down on the desk in front of the brunette.

"Thank you Shamal," Hayate said with a smile. "You're a life saver." The Empress took a long sip of tea from her mug, sighing happily as she slouched back into her chair.

"Another request?" Shamal said, looking down at the document in front of Hayate on the desk.

"Hai," Hayate replied, less than enthusiastic. She looked down at the message. "Someone by the name of Tredia Graze wishes an audience with me to discuss some... things..."

"I certainly hope he's not another alchemist," Puppy Zafira said speaking up. The demon wolf currently lounged on the ground in front of Hayate's desk.

Shamal jumped with a shout. "Z-Zafira-san!" the blonde attendant exclaimed with a hand over her heart. "I didn't see you there."

Puppy Zafira laughed. "My apologies Shamal-san. I meant not to frighten you."

"It's alright," Shamal said with a giggle. The Empress' attendant was still not used to seeing the blue demon wolf in his smaller form (something he learned to do from Arf), but in her opinion, it suited him better when he wasn't fighting. But Shamal would never tell Zafira that.

"I should have been more observant of my surroundings," Shamal said.

A pause.

"Vita-chan's not with you?"

"Sleeping," was Puppy Zafira's reply.

"Not anymore," came a grumble.

Everyone looked up to see a half asleep, frizzy-haired Vita walk in from the side room. "How can anyone expect me to sleep when there's people screaming first thing in the morning? I don't know how Rein and Agito sleep through that."

Hayate laughed at her disgruntled cousin.

"I'm really sorry about that Vita-chan," Shamal said in embarrassment.

"Whatever," the redhead replied. "I'm going to look for breakfast." And with that said, Vita left the Empress' chambers, rubbing her eyes.

"I should probably make sure she finds the kitchens without incident," Puppy Zafira said. He rose to his feet and followed after the sleepy redhead.

"Thank you Zafira," the Empress said chuckling.

Shamal and Hayate watched quietly as the puppy demon wolf padded out of the room, before returning to their previous duties.

"How is the wrap up of the JS Incident?" Shamal inquired.

"Most of the Numbers assassins have been reunited with their rightful families," Hayate said, turning back to her paperwork. "Many of them have no recollection of their time under Jail-san's command, but that's not surprising considering many of them were under mind control at that time. There hasn't been any sightings of that summoner assassin who was also working for the alchemist, but from what I've been told, I don't think she'll cause problems for us if she does return."

Hayate set aside the current document she looked at and picked up another one off of the pile of papers to her right. "Of the Numbers assassins who did work for the alchemist willingly," Hayate continued. "They, along with Jail Scaglietti, are being imprisoned in various imperial prisons all over the country. Signum's samurai will be keeping a close eye on them. His Logia Relicia have also been sealed away to avoid them being misused in the future."

"That's a relief," Shamal said after the Empress finished her report. It relieved the blonde that the horror of last year's events was finally over and that they could now move on with their lives.

_BANG!_

The doors to Hayate's chambers banged open, startling the pair. Instinctively, Shamal took up a defensive posture in front of the Empress, just about to call on Klarer Wind when the sound of childish laughter reached their ears. A split second later, a small blonde girl ran inside the room, giggling.

"Vivio-san!" came a scolding shout after the child. "No running! Especially into Hayate-sama's room when she's trying to do her work!"

Both Hayate and Shamal raised an eyebrow at each other before smiling. A moment later, Signum darted into the room, chasing after the small blonde in a frazzle.

"Oya?" Hayate said grinning madly. "It's Signum's turn to babysit today, huh?"

At the sound of Hayate's voice, Signum immediately froze, the samurai's eyes widening as they met the brunette's. "H-Hayate-sama!"

Signum instantly dropped down to one knee, bowing her head. "I apologize for the interruption, Hayate-sama."

"Interruption?" Hayate said humming. The smile on her face widened. "It's no interruption, is it Shamal?"

The Empress' attendant shook her head. "Ile," Shamal said with a smile. "But Signum-san chasing after little Vivio-chan is rather cute." The blonde attendant quickly found herself laughing at the noticeable blush creeping up the samurai's cheeks.

"Signum-san," Vivio said, having realized her pursuer had stopped. She walked up to the still bowing samurai and tugged on the pinkette's armor. "Why is your face red?"

"N-no reason..." Signum mumbled, not meeting the gaze of either Shamal or Hayate. Both women laughed even more.

"Empress!" came a shout. A messenger rushed into Hayate's chambers, bowing immediately while trying to catch his breath. "A Spirit Seed!" the boy exclaimed after a quick inhale. "There's a Spirit Seed going wild in the Middle District!"

Shamal turned to look at the Empress, a sly smile on her face. "Are you going to ask _them_ to take care of it?"

Hayate grinned back, turning back to her paperwork. "Well, you know how _they_ are."

Shamal giggled. She did know.

* * *

"So that's where you've been hiding," a soft voice said. A black clad figure walked over to the white clad figure lying on the roof of the Imperial Palace's south wing.

The White Devil groaned. "Not so loud Fate-chan," she grumbled. "I was up early this morning and am trying to catch up on some sleep now."

The Thunder Reaper raised an eyebrow. "Why out here and not in our room?"

"Because it's warmer out here," the White Devil replied.

"Ah."

Silence.

The Thunder Reaper grinned. "So... baking again, huh?"

"Hey now!" the White Devil protested. "You know how bad Miyuki-nee is with pastries. She couldn't make one to save her life!"

The black garbed assassin chuckled.

"I couldn't let her poison the customers." A pout.

The Thunder Reaper sat down on the red tiled roof next to her counterpart. The sun was now high in the sky, and both assassins could make out the morning rush of citizens in all districts from where they were on the Imperial rooftop.

"How many did you make this time?"

The White Devil huffed, rolling onto her side, putting her back to her partner. "Who do you take me for Fate-chan? Hmpf!"

The Thunder Reaper grinned even more now. "How many Nanoha?" The black assassin leaned to the side, peering over the White Devil's prone form.

A mumble.

"What was that?"

Another mumble.

"Hmmm?"

"Fifty trays!" the White Devil exclaimed, sitting up to glare at the Thunder Reaper.

The black assassin whistled. "Fifty trays," she said. "You certainly overdid it this time, Nanoha. That must be a new record." A laugh.

"Ah mou!" the White Devil huffed and looked away. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What did you expect Fate-chan? I was using the Imperial Kitchens and forgot how big the oven was."

The Thunder Reaper laughed again.

"It's not funny!" The White Devil pouted again, turning her face away. "It's not any different from you sending those packages to Lindy-san."

"Of course it is," the Thunder Reaper countered. "Those packages don't take over the entire kitchen."

The White Devil huffed more and turned away.

"Aww, come on now Nanoha," the Thunder Reaper said. "Don't be mad. You know I didn't mean it that way."

The White Devil said nothing, still looking away from her companion.

"Nanoha," the Thunder Reaper said. "Would you look at me, please?"

Still no response. The White Devil closed her eyes.

The Thunder Reaper hummed. "It seems I'm going to have to make it up to you somehow, huh?"

Before the White Devil could even retort, her face mask was pulled down and another pair of lips met hers. Violet coloured eyes shot open in surprise before closing again, the White Devil losing herself in the kiss. It would be the Thunder Reaper who pulled back first, licking her lips as she did so. The black assassin smiled.

"So you'll forgive me?" The Thunder Reaper gave her partner her best puppy dog eyes.

The White Devil looked at the Thunder Reaper dazed and dreamy. She nodded limply, earning her another brilliant smile from the black assassin.

"I love you, Nanoha," the Thunder Reaper whispered.

"I love you too, Fate-chan," the White Devil replied back.

As the pair leaned in for another kiss, a burst of blue magic shot up into the air from the Middle District, to the sounds of screams and yells.

The assassins sighed, resting their foreheads together.

"And it was just getting to the good part," the Thunder Reaper said wistfully. "Darn Spirit Seeds interrupting our fun." The Thunder Reaper pouted.

It was the White Devil's turn to chuckle. "You do know, Fate-chan," the White Devil began. "That the faster we take care of that, the faster we can return to our... fun..."

Smouldering violet eyes locked onto burgundy ones. The Thunder Reaper suddenly found herself very hot and her mouth dry.

"R-really?" came a questioning whisper.

"Really..." the White Devil replied.

The Thunder Reaper smiled. "Good," she said. She leaned in for another kiss.

The White Devil smirked, also leaning in. But before their lips could meet again, the white assassin pulled back.

"Race you to it!" the White Devil shouted before jumping off the roof of the Imperial Palace.

The Thunder Reaper blinked. "Wha..." Then she blinked again. "Ah mou! That's not fair Nanoha!" she exclaimed, chasing after her partner. "That is so cheating! Get back here you!"

The White Devil laughed.

END

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Thanks for reading everyone! By no means is this the end of me in the MGLN world. Don't forget to check out the sequel to this piece, called __A Samurai's Pledge__, when it comes out in a few weeks!_

_For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below._

_Hai = Yes_

_Uhn = A noise of affirmation. Similar to 'yes'._

_Onii-san/Onii = Big Brother_

_Nee-san/Nee = Big Sister_

_Imouto = Little Sister  
Kaa-san/Okaa-san = Mother_

_Musuko = Son_

_Shounen = Boy_

_For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics_


End file.
